How Much Do Apprentice Electricians Make? Pay by Step

How apprentice pay steps work

An apprentice is not paid a flat wage. You get a set percentage of the journeyman rate where you work, and that percentage goes up as you log hours and pass your classes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts it simply: apprentices earn less than fully trained electricians, and their pay rises as they learn to do more. Most programs run four or five years, with about 2,000 paid hours on the job each year plus classroom work.

Two numbers set your check: the journeyman rate and the step you are on. If the local journeyman rate goes up in a new contract, every apprentice step goes up with it. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) says starting pay is usually around 50 percent of the journeyman rate and climbs from there. Union inside wireman programs often start lower on the percentage scale but tie to a higher negotiated rate.

A published JATC scale: Southwest Washington

The Southwest Washington Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee files its standards with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. In the version dated October 17, 2024, the inside wireman program has six periods across 8,000 hours. Pay starts at 40 percent of the journey-level rate for the first 1,000 hours. It moves to 45, 55, 65 and 75 percent, then 85 percent for hours 6,501 to 8,000.

Hours alone do not move you up. From step 3 on, each raise also needs a craft certification level, and the standards say you must keep making satisfactory progress in class. Fall behind in school and your raise waits. The standards also say inside apprentices cannot be paid below the scale, whatever kind of work they are doing that day.

A prevailing wage example: San Francisco inside wireman

The California Department of Industrial Relations publishes apprentice prevailing wage rates for public works. Its San Francisco inside wireman determination (2025-1, which expired May 31, 2025) lists 10 periods of six months and 800 job hours each. The first-shift base rate was $36.50 an hour in periods 1 and 2. It rose by about $4.56 each period to $73.00 in period 10.

Base pay is only part of the package. Each period also carried $21.33 an hour for health and welfare plus training and other contributions. That brought the first-period total to $60.665 an hour. The page notes no pension for periods 1 and 2. These rates apply only to apprentices registered with the state's Division of Apprenticeship Standards, working on public works in their own trade.

What changes how much you make

Location matters most. The BLS-based figures below put the middle of the apprentice range near $63,300 in Washington and $53,900 in California, against about $40,000 in Florida. Your sponsor matters next. Union, IEC, ABC and in-house programs all set their own percentages and tie them to different journeyman rates.

After that it comes down to you. Pass your classes on time, pick up your certifications and keep your hours up, and you move through the steps faster. Overtime is common in this trade, according to BLS, and it can add a lot to a year's pay. Public works jobs pay prevailing wage, which is often well above private work. Benefits like health coverage and pension count too, even though they never show up in your hourly rate.

Pay

U.S. apprentices and trainees (25th to 75th percentile)

$38,100–50,200

Washington

$49,100–81,400

California

$45,400–63,400

New York

$41,500–61,700

Texas

$38,200–50,500

Florida

$38,200–46,600

Illinois

$33,000–47,000

U.S. journey-level electricians, for comparison

$51,200–86,900

USD a year, before tax. Ranges show the 25th to 75th percentile from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data (May 2025), adjusted to 2026 with a wage index. State figures are modeled estimates, not union scale or official rates. Your step, local journeyman rate, overtime and public works jobs move your actual pay. Refer to the Apprentices & Trainees salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

Registered apprenticeshipStep raises are set by the program sponsor's standards. In California, apprentice prevailing rates apply only to apprentices registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
On-the-job hoursMost programs need about 2,000 paid hours a year for four or five years. IEC programs need at least 8,000 hours on the job.
Classroom instructionIEC programs include 576 classroom hours. The Southwest Washington JATC requires satisfactory progress in class before each raise.
Craft certificationsIn the Southwest Washington inside wireman scale, steps 3 through 6 each require the next craft certification level.
High school diploma or equivalentBLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the usual education needed to enter an apprenticeship.

State by state

Washington	Apprentices must be paid at least the state minimum wage on a rising scale tied to the journey-level wage. Sponsors must report that journey-level wage to Labor and Industries at least once a year.
California	On public works, registered apprentices get the published apprentice prevailing wage for their period. Those rates are paid only to apprentices registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

How to get there

0 to 1,000 hrsStep 1: 40% of journey rateStarting period in the Southwest Washington inside wireman scale. No classroom condition applies yet.
1,001 to 2,000 hrsStep 2: 45%Needs satisfactory progress in classroom training.
2,001 to 3,500 hrsStep 3: 55%Needs Level 1 craft certification.
3,501 to 5,000 hrsStep 4: 65%Needs Level 2 craft certification.
5,001 to 6,500 hrsStep 5: 75%Needs Level 3 craft certification.
6,501 to 8,000 hrsStep 6: 85%Needs Level 4 craft certification. Finish the hours to reach journey level.

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Questions people ask

What does a first-year apprentice electrician make?

First-year pay is usually a set share of the local journeyman rate. IEC puts it around 50 percent, and one Washington union JATC starts at 40 percent. The dollar amount depends on what journeymen earn where you work.

How often do apprentice electricians get raises?

Raises come at set hour or period marks in the program standards. The Southwest Washington JATC uses six steps over 8,000 hours. San Francisco's inside wireman scale has 10 six-month periods of 800 hours each. The rate stays the same for the first two periods, then goes up every period after that.

Can I get a raise faster?

Sometimes. Washington standards let sponsors grant advanced standing, with a raise, when an apprentice shows mastery. BLS notes that military or construction experience can shorten an apprenticeship.

Do apprentice electricians get benefits?

Many do, especially on union and prevailing wage jobs. San Francisco's apprentice rates carried $21.33 an hour for health and welfare in every period, though there was no pension in the first two periods.

Why do apprentice pay figures vary so much between states?

Your pay is a percentage of local journeyman pay, and that rate differs widely by state and contract. The modeled BLS figures put the middle of the apprentice range near $63,300 in Washington and $40,000 in Florida.

How much do apprentice electricians make?