Electrician apprentice pay, by year and by local
Apprentice electricians are paid a fixed percent of the journeyman base rate that steps up through the program. Each local negotiates its own ladder, so first-year pay varies more by city than by employer.
The figures here are the contract percentages applied to each local's current base, at 2,000 paid hours a year. Job-board averages are not used anywhere on this page.
First-year to final-period pay, by local
| Local | First period hourly | First-year cash | Final period hourly | Years to journeyman |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 595 Bay Area | $30.40 | $62,700 | $60.80 | 5 |
| IBEW Local 103 Boston | $26.74 | $53,488 | $50.15 | 5 |
| IBEW Local 3 New York City | $19.25 | $38,500 | $33.50 | 6 |
| IBEW Local 46 Seattle | $32.32 | $68,486 | $65.41 | 4 |
The ladders
IBEW Local 595, Bay Area: $76.00 journeyman base
| Period | Months | Percent of base | Hourly | Full year at this step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 595 period 1 | 6 | 40% | $30.40 | $60,800 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 2 | 6 | 42.5% | $32.30 | $64,600 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 3 | 6 | 45% | $34.20 | $68,400 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 4 | 6 | 50% | $38.00 | $76,000 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 5 | 6 | 55% | $41.80 | $83,600 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 6 | 6 | 60% | $45.60 | $91,200 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 7 | 6 | 65% | $49.40 | $98,800 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 8 | 6 | 70% | $53.20 | $106,400 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 9 | 6 | 75% | $57.00 | $114,000 |
| IBEW Local 595 period 10 | 6 | 80% | $60.80 | $121,600 |
IBEW Local 595 page for the record and the by-year blend.
IBEW Local 103, Boston: $66.86 journeyman base
| Period | Months | Percent of base | Hourly | Full year at this step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 103 period 1 | 6 | 40% | $26.74 | $53,488 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 2 | 6 | 40% | $26.74 | $53,488 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 3 | 6 | 45% | $30.09 | $60,174 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 4 | 6 | 45% | $30.09 | $60,174 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 5 | 6 | 50% | $33.43 | $66,860 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 6 | 6 | 55% | $36.77 | $73,546 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 7 | 6 | 60% | $40.12 | $80,232 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 8 | 6 | 65% | $43.46 | $86,918 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 9 | 6 | 70% | $46.80 | $93,604 |
| IBEW Local 103 period 10 | 6 | 75% | $50.15 | $100,290 |
IBEW Local 103 page for the record and the by-year blend.
IBEW Local 3, New York City: $64.00 journeyman base
| Period | Months | Percent of base | Hourly | Full year at this step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 3 period 1 | 12 | 30.1% | $19.25 | $38,500 |
| IBEW Local 3 period 2 | 12 | 33.2% | $21.25 | $42,500 |
| IBEW Local 3 period 3 | 12 | 36.3% | $23.25 | $46,500 |
| IBEW Local 3 period 4 | 12 | 41% | $26.25 | $52,500 |
| IBEW Local 3 period 5 | 12 | 43% | $27.50 | $55,000 |
| IBEW Local 3 period 6 | 6 | 52.3% | $33.50 | $67,000 |
IBEW Local 3 page for the record and the by-year blend.
IBEW Local 46, Seattle: $76.95 journeyman base
| Period | Months | Percent of base | Hourly | Full year at this step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 46 period 1 | 6 | 42% | $32.32 | $64,638 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 2 | 6 | 47% | $36.17 | $72,333 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 3 | 9 | 52% | $40.01 | $80,028 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 4 | 9 | 65% | $50.02 | $100,035 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 5 | 9 | 75% | $57.71 | $115,425 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 6 | 9 | 85% | $65.41 | $130,815 |
IBEW Local 46 page for the record and the by-year blend.
Open-shop entry pay for contrast
Non-union apprentice pay is not published as a contract. The closest honest number is the BLS 10th-percentile electrician wage for each metro, which is roughly where an open-shop first-year apprentice lands.
| Metro | 10th percentile | 25th percentile | Survey year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Area | $26.62 | $33.70 | 2025 |
| Boston | $22.71 | $28.03 | 2025 |
| New York City | $22.20 | $29.81 | 2025 |
| Seattle | $26.77 | $36.35 | 2025 |
What the switch costs from a desk job
Enter your current salary. The table shows cash wages only, year by year, against staying put. Benefits are listed separately and never enter break-even, and the business-ownership line is a scenario range, so neither can hide the real cash hole.
- Deepest hole
- cumulative cash, by year
- Break-even
- on cash wages against staying put
- Journeyman base
The line items break-even leaves out
| Licensing and exam fees (year 1, counted in break-even) | |
| Benefits against your current coverage (per year; outside break-even); ; | |
| Year | Stay | Switch (cash) | Costs | Difference | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Break-even and the hole ride cash wages plus one-time licensing only. Union rates are prevailing-wage or wage-sheet figures at 2,000 paid hours a year, which is an assumption; actual hours vary. See the methodology page for the per-number audit trail. Methodology.
Questions people ask
- How much does a first-year electrician apprentice make?
- Under the current union agreements: IBEW Local 595 $62,700, IBEW Local 103 $53,488, IBEW Local 3 $38,500, IBEW Local 46 $68,486. Those are cash wages at 2,000 hours, before overtime, and health coverage starts on day one.
- Do apprentice wages go up every year?
- They go up by period, and periods are usually six or nine months tied to on-the-job hours, so most apprentices see two raises a year. The percent of base at each step is fixed in the agreement.
- Is IBEW apprentice pay the same everywhere?
- No. Each local negotiates its own ladder and base rate. First-year pay across the four metros here spans a wide range for the same job title.