Highest-Paying U.S. Metro Areas for Electricians: Top 100 (2026 Snapshot)
Electrician Pay by U.S. Metro Area: 2026 BLS Wage Snapshot
Kankakee, Illinois, has the highest published annual median wage for electricians in this Top 100 at $105,500. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro follows at $105,090, with Mount Vernon-Anacortes third at $104,510.
This ranking compares annual median wages for Electricians (SOC 47-2111) across U.S. metropolitan areas. It is a 2026 snapshot based on the latest available May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates. Higher published median wage ranks higher.
Single-source ranking compiled from official BLS OEWS metropolitan wage estimates. Coverage: 100 confirmed metros. Unit: nominal U.S. dollars per year. Status counts: 100 official_value, 0 calculated_value, 0 official_forecast, 0 modeled_projection.
Kankakee, IL ranks first among the 100 confirmed metro entries.
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA ranks #100. This is the cutoff for this ranking, not the lowest U.S. metro wage.
Metropolitan areas with confirmed May 2025 annual median wages for SOC 47-2111.
BLS national median annual wage for electricians in May 2025.
Latest OEWS reference period used here; released May 15, 2026.
How metro electrician wages are compared
The ranking uses the annual median wage rather than the annual mean. The median is the wage at which half of workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less, making it a useful benchmark for the middle of the wage distribution.
The national median annual wage for electricians was $63,190 in May 2025. Every metro in this Top 100 has a published median above that national benchmark, although the national figure does not affect rank.
These are nominal wages. Housing costs, taxes, local prices, overtime and benefits are not incorporated, so the table should not be read as a cost-of-living or purchasing-power ranking.
Ten metros with the highest published electrician medians
Eight of the ten highest-ranked metros have published annual median wages of at least $100,000. Seven of the Top 10 are western metros, while Kankakee, Chicago and Champaign-Urbana represent the Midwest.
Top 10 metro areas by annual median wage for Electricians (SOC 47-2111), May 2025
| Rank | Metro area | Annual median wage | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kankakee, IL | $105,500 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 2 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $105,090 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 3 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $104,510 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 4 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $102,350 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $101,780 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 6 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $100,320 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 7 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $100,270 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 8 | Albany, OR | $100,230 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 9 | Corvallis, OR | $99,880 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 10 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $99,850 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
Ranks sort published BLS median-wage point estimates from highest to lowest. Small differences between nearby metros should not be interpreted as proof of statistically significant differences in pay.
How the Top 20 metro wage estimates compare
The chart uses the same raw annual median wage values as the tables and scales each bar to the #1 value of $105,500.
Methodology and data limits
The ranking uses the BLS OEWS annual median wage for Electricians, SOC 47-2111, by metropolitan area. Values refer to May 2025 and are expressed in nominal U.S. dollars per year. StatRanker sorts the published BLS wage estimates from highest to lowest; BLS publishes the underlying values but not this Top 100 rank order.
Metric and unit
Annual median wage for Electricians (SOC 47-2111), in nominal U.S. dollars per year. Mean wages and hourly wages are not mixed into the ranking.
Rank direction
Higher raw annual median wage ranks higher. The displayed rank is derived from the published BLS value before presentation formatting.
Reference period
All ranking values refer to May 2025. The page is a 2026 snapshot because BLS released these estimates on May 15, 2026.
Coverage
The table contains the 100 highest confirmed metropolitan-area median wages published for SOC 47-2111 in the May 2025 OEWS data.
Inclusion and exclusion
Metropolitan areas with a published median are eligible. State totals, the national total, nonmetropolitan areas and missing or suppressed metro medians are excluded.
Missing values
Missing and suppressed values are not estimated, imputed or replaced with data from another year.
Ties
Equal raw wage values are ordered alphabetically by metro name for display. The underlying wage values remain equal.
Value status
All 100 wage values are official_value. The StatRanker rank is a sorting operation, not a modeled wage estimate or forecast.
OEWS estimation basis: May 2025 estimates combine six semiannual survey panels collected over three years. BLS uses its model-based three-year estimation method, MB3, and adjusts earlier-panel wage information to the reference period.
Wage definition: OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rates and specified forms of guaranteed or incentive pay while excluding overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer costs for supplementary benefits and tuition reimbursement.
Population scope: OEWS covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments. Self-employed workers, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers and unpaid family workers are outside the survey's occupational employment estimates.
Assumptions and limits: no missing values are imputed, no cross-year values are substituted, and no cost-of-living or inflation adjustment is applied. The ranking does not measure purchasing power, overtime earnings, benefits, union coverage, employment volume, job openings, licensing requirements or future wage growth.
Complete Top 100 metro ranking
Search by metro, filter by broad region or value status, change the sort order, or limit the view to the original Top 10 or Top 20.
Annual median wage for Electricians (SOC 47-2111), BLS OEWS May 2025
| Rank | Metro area | Annual median wage | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kankakee, IL | $105,500 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 2 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $105,090 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 3 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $104,510 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 4 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $102,350 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $101,780 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 6 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $100,320 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 7 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $100,270 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 8 | Albany, OR | $100,230 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 9 | Corvallis, OR | $99,880 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 10 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $99,850 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 11 | Bend, OR | $99,200 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 12 | Salem, OR | $98,850 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 13 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $98,480 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 14 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $98,210 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 15 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $97,860 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 16 | Bellingham, WA | $97,590 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 17 | St. Joseph, MO-KS | $97,350 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 18 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $96,860 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 19 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $96,600 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 20 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | $94,680 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 21 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $93,560 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 22 | Rockford, IL | $93,280 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 23 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $92,830 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 24 | Medford, OR | $92,410 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 25 | Kokomo, IN | $91,290 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 26 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $91,030 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 27 | Grants Pass, OR | $88,140 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 28 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $86,040 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 29 | Springfield, IL | $84,780 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 30 | Mankato, MN | $83,120 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 31 | Walla Walla, WA | $82,910 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 32 | Duluth, MN-WI | $82,700 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 33 | Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | $82,510 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 34 | Anchorage, AK | $82,440 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 35 | Janesville-Beloit, WI | $82,170 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 36 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $81,990 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 37 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $81,890 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 38 | St. Cloud, MN | $81,890 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; equal wage value. |
| 39 | Carson City, NV | $81,880 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 40 | Ann Arbor, MI | $81,450 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 41 | Decatur, IL | $81,020 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 42 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $80,990 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 43 | Billings, MT | $80,980 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 44 | Monroe, MI | $80,620 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 45 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $80,480 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 46 | Peoria, IL | $80,460 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 47 | Bay City, MI | $80,450 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 48 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,910 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 49 | Saginaw, MI | $79,860 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 50 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $79,830 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 51 | Columbus, IN | $79,670 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 52 | Rochester, MN | $79,650 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 53 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $79,560 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 54 | Vallejo, CA | $79,490 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 55 | Bloomington, IL | $79,430 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 56 | Missoula, MT | $79,250 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 57 | Evansville, IN | $79,240 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 58 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $79,020 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 59 | Sheboygan, WI | $78,880 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 60 | Salinas, CA | $78,780 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 61 | Helena, MT | $78,760 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 62 | La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | $78,760 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; equal wage value. |
| 63 | Wausau, WI | $78,680 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 64 | Yakima, WA | $78,630 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 65 | Barnstable Town, MA | $78,570 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 66 | Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $78,550 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 67 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | $78,540 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 68 | Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $78,430 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 69 | Madison, WI | $78,430 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; equal wage value. |
| 70 | Flint, MI | $78,270 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 71 | Bozeman, MT | $78,230 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 72 | Napa, CA | $78,080 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 73 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $77,930 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 74 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $77,800 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 75 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $77,680 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 76 | Glens Falls, NY | $77,660 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 77 | Terre Haute, IN | $77,650 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 78 | Springfield, MA | $77,420 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 79 | New Haven, CT | $77,410 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 80 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $77,380 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 81 | Akron, OH | $77,360 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 82 | Rochester, NY | $77,310 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 83 | Green Bay, WI | $77,260 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 84 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $77,170 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 85 | Lewiston, ID-WA | $77,130 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 86 | Syracuse, NY | $77,110 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 87 | Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | $77,100 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 88 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $77,080 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 89 | Fond du Lac, WI | $77,060 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 90 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $76,980 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 91 | Great Falls, MT | $76,960 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 92 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $76,950 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 93 | Fargo, ND-MN | $76,950 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; equal wage value. |
| 94 | Vineland, NJ | $76,920 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 95 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $76,860 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 96 | Modesto, CA | $76,710 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 97 | Binghamton, NY | $76,670 | Northeast; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 98 | Battle Creek, MI | $76,630 | Midwest; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 99 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $76,610 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
| 100 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $76,540 | West; official_value; BLS OEWS May 2025; target 2025; published median. |
All wage values are direct BLS May 2025 OEWS published medians. Rank is calculated from the raw point estimate. Equal values use alphabetical order as the display tie-breaker.
Patterns visible in the Top 100
Top wage threshold
Eight metros have published electrician median wages of at least $100,000. The gap between #1 Kankakee and #8 Albany, OR is $5,270.
Pacific Northwest presence
Oregon and Washington are heavily represented near the top. Together they account for 12 of the first 20 metro entries.
Regional concentration
Using the page's broad region grouping, the Top 100 contains 43 Midwest, 40 West and 17 Northeast entries. The West accounts for 15 of the Top 20.
Highest-ranked Midwest metro
Kankakee ranks first even though western metros dominate the highest-wage group. It is the only Midwest metro among the first three entries.
How to interpret a high metro wage rank
The ranking answers one specific question: which U.S. metropolitan areas have the highest BLS-published annual median wages for electricians. It does not predict the salary of an individual worker.
Actual compensation can differ by experience, employer, union agreement, specialty, licensing, overtime and work schedule. Local costs can also change the practical value of the same nominal salary.
Large wage gaps are more useful for broad comparisons than very small differences between neighboring ranks. Closely grouped point estimates should be treated as near-ties.
Questions about electrician metro wage data
Which U.S. metro area has the highest median wage for electricians?
Kankakee, Illinois ranks first with a May 2025 BLS OEWS annual median wage of $105,500 for Electricians, SOC 47-2111.
Are these 2026 electrician salary figures?
No. This is a 2026 snapshot based on May 2025 OEWS estimates released by BLS on May 15, 2026. No 2026 wage projection is used.
Are the wage values officially published by BLS?
Yes. Every wage value is published by BLS. StatRanker sorts those official values to create the Top 100 order.
Why does the ranking use median wage instead of average wage?
The median marks the midpoint of the wage distribution: half of workers earn more and half earn less. It is different from the mean and is used consistently across the ranking.
What is the national median wage for electricians?
BLS reports a national median annual wage of $63,190 for electricians in May 2025. The national figure is a benchmark and is not ranked as a metro area.
Does the ranking adjust for cost of living?
No. The values are nominal annual wages. Housing, taxes and other local price differences are outside the ranking metric.
Does OEWS include overtime pay?
No. OEWS wage estimates are based on straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime pay.
Are self-employed electricians included?
No. OEWS covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and does not include self-employed workers.
Does a one-rank difference prove that one metro pays more?
No. Rank simply orders published BLS point estimates. Very small differences should not be interpreted as statistically significant differences.
Official data sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 OEWS Metropolitan Area Data
Primary numeric source for the metropolitan annual median wage estimates used in the ranking.
BLS — May 2025 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Estimates
Official index for May 2025 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan occupational employment and wage estimates.
BLS — Technical Notes for May 2025 OEWS Estimates
Methodology source for survey scope, wage definitions, exclusions and estimation procedures.
BLS — May 2025 OEWS Survey Methods
Detailed technical source for estimation procedures and interpretation limits.
BLS — Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025 Archived Release
Archived official release confirming the reference period and May 15, 2026 publication date.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ocwage_05152026.htm
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Electricians
Official occupation context and source for the May 2025 national median annual wage benchmark of $63,190.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
