Salary of a Construction Electrician
Even the most basic warehouses and shop structures need electricity, so construction electricians are a specialty that's needed in virtually every type of building construction. Trained to install wiring systems inside walls and develop breaker systems, construction electricians develop the major electrical systems in buildings and leave jobs such as repairs and additions to service electricians.
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Average Salary
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The average hourly wage for all electricians who work in the building construction industry is $23.03 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median salary for those in the industry is $43,510 per year, with half earning between $35,310 and $57,510. Electricians who specialize in residential building construction earn hourly wages of $22.09, while those employed in construction of commercial buildings, where there is a higher demand for wiring systems due to elevators and specialized equipment, earn average hourly wages of $23.58.
Salaries Around the Country
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A construction electricians' salary is influenced by different factors, including the rate of development in the area in which he works, union membership and the amount of qualified electricians in the area. As a result, annual salaries for the trade vary widely around the country. Those in New York and Chicago earn the highest annual salaries in the country, $62,185 and $61,264 respectively, as of January 2011, according to SalaryExpert.com. In contrast, construction electricians in Orlando, Florida, earn the smallest salaries, at $31,640 per year.
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Comparison to All Electrician Salaries
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Electricians work in a variety of fields beyond construction and service, with many working in factories and other industries. The median annual salary for electricians in all industries is $42,734 as of January 2011, according to Salary.com, which is essentially the same as wages paid to construction electricians. Electricians who work in film and television industries earn the highest salaries in their field, with averages of $75,550 per year as of May 2009, according to the BLS.
Education and Training
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Although most apprentice construction electricians learn their trade while working alongside a journeyman or master electrician on the job site, apprentices must receive at least 144 hours of training each year, according to State University. Classroom training includes blueprint reading, wiring layout and building code requirements and mathematical and electrical theory. Each state has its own requirements for certification as a journeyman or master electrician.
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References
- Photo Credit electrician, image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
