How much does an Electrician make in Pennsylvania?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $65,400 for Electricians in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,910 and the 75th-percentile is $87,670.

How many Electricians does Pennsylvania employ?

BLS OES counts 21,860 Electricians employed in Pennsylvania in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Is Pennsylvania a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Electricians?

No — Pennsylvania's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Electrician salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Union vs non-union electrician pay in Pennsylvania?

BLS does not split union from non-union pay. In {state}, IBEW-represented electricians typically earn 15-30% above the non-union median once benefits and pension contributions are included. The premium is concentrated in commercial and industrial work; residential is more often non-union.

How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Pennsylvania?

Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Pennsylvania markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.

Electrician Pay in Pennsylvania: $65K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Pennsylvania pays Electricians a BLS median of $65,400 — the more useful number is $67,146, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $44,760 · P25 $51,910 · P75 $87,670 · P90 $109,320.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #27 of 51; nominal rank is #23.

Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$44,760	$45,955
P25 (lower quartile)	$51,910	$53,296
P50 (median)	$65,400	$67,146
P75 (upper quartile)	$87,670	$90,010
P90 (top tier)	$109,320	$112,238
Mean	$73,510	$75,472
Employment	21,860 Electricians in Pennsylvania

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Pennsylvania index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.4
Goods	98.4
Services	118.3
Rents	85.8

Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Pennsylvania (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Electrician)	$65,400	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,710	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,008	3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,003	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$52,679	80.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$54,085	÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Pennsylvania state-tax burden means for Electrician take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $52,679 (80.5% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $54,085. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $2,289/year if PHL-based.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $62,350 for Electricians with mean pay of $69,630 and total employment of 742,580. Pennsylvania sits at #23 on nominal pay and #27 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Electrician make in Pennsylvania?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $65,400 for Electricians in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,910 and the 75th-percentile is $87,670.
How many Electricians does Pennsylvania employ?: BLS OES counts 21,860 Electricians employed in Pennsylvania in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Is Pennsylvania a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Electricians?: No — Pennsylvania's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Electrician salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Union vs non-union electrician pay in Pennsylvania?: BLS does not split union from non-union pay. In {state}, IBEW-represented electricians typically earn 15-30% above the non-union median once benefits and pension contributions are included. The premium is concentrated in commercial and industrial work; residential is more often non-union.
How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Pennsylvania?: Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Pennsylvania markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2111, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Pennsylvania Electrician pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.