How much do electricians make in Virginia in 2026?

The median electrician salary in Virginia is $62,900 a year, which works out to about $30.24 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of all electricians in the state earn more, half earn less. Where you fall on that range depends heavily on your experience level, the type of work you do, and where in Virginia you're working.

At the 25th percentile, electricians earn $49,410 annually, or roughly $23.75 an hour. This is typically where you'll find workers in the early stages of their careers — apprentices who have recently obtained their journeyman license, or those who have been in the trade for only a few years and are still building up their specialty skills. Starting out at this level is normal. It's not a ceiling.

The 75th percentile sits at $78,190 a year, or about $37.59 an hour. Electricians at this level usually have years of experience, hold a master electrician license, specialize in higher-paying sectors like industrial or commercial construction, or take on foreman and supervisor responsibilities. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is nearly $29,000 a year — that's a meaningful difference, and it reflects how much room there is to grow earnings over a career.

Virginia's geography plays a real role in where your paycheck lands. The Northern Virginia corridor — Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William counties — sits within the broader Washington, D.C. metro labor market. Commercial and government construction activity there tends to push wages above the state median. The Hampton Roads area, anchored by Norfolk and Virginia Beach, has a strong base of military installation and shipyard-adjacent electrical work. Richmond falls more in the middle of the state pay range, while rural Southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley tend to run closer to or below the state median.

Licensing matters in Virginia. The state requires electricians to be licensed through the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A Journeyman Electrician license requires documented hours — typically gained through a registered apprenticeship program or verifiable on-the-job training — plus passing a written exam. The Master Electrician license adds more experience and testing requirements. Holding a master license and being able to pull permits gives you leverage when negotiating pay, especially if you move into contracting, supervision, or running your own crew.

Some electricians in Virginia work under collective bargaining agreements. If you're covered by a union contract, your base wage and benefits are set by that agreement rather than the open market. To find out exactly what you'd earn under a union contract, check your local's collective bargaining agreement directly — it will spell out the wage scale, fringe benefits, and overtime rules precisely.

Overtime is a real factor in what electricians actually take home. Large commercial and industrial projects routinely run extended schedules, and time-and-a-half adds up fast. An electrician at the median rate of $30.24 an hour earns $45.36 for every overtime hour. Working 10 hours of overtime per week for six months would add roughly $11,000 to annual earnings above base salary. The BLS OEWS data used here reflects base wages and salaries — it does not capture overtime pay, per diem, or benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions, all of which can be significant.

To move your pay from the lower half toward the 75th percentile and beyond, focus on a few concrete things: complete your apprenticeship and get your journeyman license as quickly as your hours allow, add specialty certifications (low-voltage, solar PV, fire alarm, or industrial controls all command premiums), take on supervisor or foreman roles, and consider the industries you're targeting. Electricians working in power generation, heavy industrial facilities, and large-scale federal projects in Virginia generally out-earn those doing residential service work.

All figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release.