Pricing guide
How Much Does an Electrician Cost?
Electricians usually charge an hourly rate plus a service fee for small jobs, and a project price for bigger work like a panel upgrade or rewiring a house. Hourly work and project work are separated below, because confusing the two is how a fair quote ends up sounding unreasonable.
Founder, Smarfle · Published June 26, 2026
Average electrician rate
$50 to $150 per hour
Plus a service or trip fee for the visit. Larger jobs like rewiring or a panel upgrade are priced by the scope of work, not by the hour.
Quick answer
Electricians typically charge $50 to $150 per hour plus a $75 to $150 service fee. Common jobs are often flat-rated (about $120 to $300 to install an outlet), while big projects like a panel upgrade ($1,500 to $4,000) or a whole-home rewire ($8,000 to $30,000) are priced by scope.
Electrician price list
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $50 to $150 |
| Service / trip fee | $75 to $150 |
| Install outlet or switch | $120 to $300 |
| Ceiling fan or light fixture | $150 to $400 |
| Panel upgrade | $1,500 to $4,000 |
| Whole-home rewire | $8,000 to $30,000 |
| EV charger install | $500 to $2,000 |
Prices are typical U.S. ranges and vary by region, scope, and condition. Always get a written quote.
Cost by common electrical job
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Replace outlet or switch | $120 to $300 |
| Install ceiling fan | $150 to $400 |
| Install light fixture | $150 to $450 |
| Add a dedicated circuit | $300 to $900 |
| Panel upgrade (100 to 200 amp) | $1,500 to $4,000 |
| EV charger install | $500 to $2,000 |
| Whole-house generator | $4,000 to $15,000 |
Whole-home rewire cost by home size
| Home size | Typical rewire cost |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 sq ft | $4,000 to $10,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $6,000 to $15,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $8,000 to $20,000 |
| 3,000+ sq ft | $12,000 to $30,000+ |
What electrical work labor costs by state
Labor is the largest single input in most electrical work jobs, and it is the part that moves most between states. The median electricians wage runs from $49,070 to $101,310, a 2.1x spread, against a national median of $63,190. Expect a quote above the ranges on this page in the first group and below them in the second.
The adjusted column divides each wage by that state's cost of living, so a high number in the first column does not automatically mean an expensive market. In California a $76,160 wage is worth $68,786 once living costs come out, while in Arkansas a smaller $49,070 is worth $56,443.
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $101,310 | $98,016 |
| Illinois | $99,560 | $99,602 |
| Hawaii | $96,460 | $87,730 |
| Washington | $95,220 | $88,980 |
| Alaska | $89,440 | $87,379 |
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $49,070 | $56,443 |
| Alabama | $55,690 | $62,698 |
| North Carolina | $56,800 | $60,217 |
| Florida | $57,250 | $55,360 |
| Georgia | $58,320 | $60,565 |
Where electricians pay goes furthest
Median wage after each state's cost of living, highest first.
Wages are the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median for Electricians (SOC 47-2111), 2025. The adjusted figure divides by each state's BEA Regional Price Parity (2024, US = 100). A few states are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality and are left out. See all 50 states.
How crowded the electrical work market is where you live
Wages explain what a crew costs to run. Competition explains what they are willing to charge. Across the country there are about 7.1 electrical businesses for every 10,000 residents, but that runs from 2.8 in the District of Columbia to 13 in Vermont, a 4.5x spread.
In the denser states more operators are bidding the same work, so quotes cluster lower and you can usually get someone out this week. In the thinner ones the same job carries a premium and a longer wait, because the few firms that exist already have a full schedule and no reason to discount. Florida has added the most since 2019, up 28%, so competition there is still building.
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 13 | 826 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | 1,678 |
| Maine | 12 | 1,625 |
| Florida | 10 | 24,038 |
| Massachusetts | 9.6 | 6,830 |
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2.8 | 198 |
| Oregon | 3.9 | 1,657 |
| Washington | 4.4 | 3,472 |
| West Virginia | 4.8 | 853 |
| Minnesota | 4.8 | 2,802 |
Most electrical businesses per 10,000 residents
Business counts are U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns employer establishments plus Nonemployer Statistics firms for NAICS 238210, so a one-person operation counts the same as a company with twelve vans. Population is the American Community Survey. CBP 2023, NES 2023, ACS 2024. See all 50 states.
Cite this data
The state figures above are free to reference with a link back. Cite the underlying study rather than the cost ranges on this page, because those ranges are editorial estimates and the state data is not.
Ihor Lavrenenko (2026). Electrician Business Statistics by State. Smarfle. https://www.smarfle.com/small-business-statistics/electrician-business-statistics
What affects the cost
Job complexity
Swapping an outlet is quick; running new circuits, upgrading a panel, or rewiring an old home is far more involved and priced by scope.
Hourly vs flat-rate
Many electricians flat-rate common tasks so you know the price up front, while custom work is billed hourly plus materials.
Permits and inspections
Bigger jobs require a permit and inspection, which add cost but protect you. Skipping permits is a red flag.
Home age and access
Older homes, finished walls, and hard-to-reach runs take longer, which raises labor, the biggest part of the bill.
What you are actually paying for
The parts of a electrical work quote that never appear as a line item, from the side of the business that has to cover them.
Sending the van costs the same either way
A stocked service van is insured, fueled, loaded with inventory and driven by someone being paid from the moment they leave. That cost is identical whether your job takes twenty minutes or three hours, which is why almost every electrician has a floor price and why one small task is the worst value you can buy.
The diagnostic fee is the skilled part
Tracing a fault is the hardest thing an electrician does and the part that most needs experience. Companies that advertise free diagnosis have to recover it somewhere, and it usually lands in the repair price, so a visible diagnostic fee often means the repair itself is quoted honestly.
A quote assumes a mix of licensed and apprentice hours
A master electrician's hour and an apprentice's hour cost the business very different amounts, and most jobs are priced on a blend of the two. Work that legally needs the licensed person on site for all of it is quoted higher, which is why permit-and-inspection jobs sit above simple swaps.
Where the money goes
For service calls, expect a trip or diagnostic fee plus labor, with materials on top. For projects, the bid bundles labor, materials, and permits by scope. Labor is the main cost, so anything that slows the electrician down (old wiring, finished walls, tight access) raises the price.
Should you DIY or hire a pro?
Electrical work is licensed and permitted for a reason: shock and fire risk are real, and unpermitted work can fail a home inspection at resale. DIY should be limited to swapping a like-for-like fixture or outlet where local code allows. Panel upgrades, new circuits, rewiring, and anything involving the service entrance require a licensed electrician.
How to save on electrical work
- Save small jobs and have them done in one visit. The expensive part is sending the van, not the twentieth minute of work.
- Ask for a flat rate on common tasks so an overrun is their risk rather than yours.
- Book non-urgent work in business hours so you are not paying for someone to be on call.
- Confirm the permit and inspection are inside the quote. Unpermitted work surfaces at resale.
- Hire a licensed electrician rather than a handyman for anything beyond a like-for-like swap.
What the federal data shows
Labor drives electrician pricing. Census puts the electrical contracting industry average near $76,500, while the BLS occupational median for electricians is $63,190, which is why skilled electrical work commands a premium.
Read the Electrician Business Statistics studyRun a electrical work business? Here is what to charge
If you run an electrical business, flat-rate your common tasks for trust and margin, charge a diagnostic fee, and bid projects by scope with permits included. Fast, clear estimates win the job.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an electrician cost?
How much does it cost to rewire a house?
How much does a panel upgrade cost?
How much to install an EV charger?
Do electricians charge a service call fee?
More pricing guides
Where these numbers come from
The dollar ranges on this page are our own editorial estimates, not survey data. We build them from the federal wage figures cited below, which set the labor floor for the trade, plus the typical job scopes we see in the field. Materials, permits, access and local demand move every one of them. Treat the ranges as a starting point for a conversation with a contractor, not as a quote.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Electricians (May 2025)National median electrician wage of $63,190. Electrical pricing is driven by licensed labor more than by materials.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns and Nonemployer Statistics (2023)Counts of electrical contracting businesses and their payroll, including sole operators, which is what sets the competitive floor on price in a given market.
Last reviewed September 2026.
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