Industrial electrician salary by industry
Industrial electricians are paid the most in petroleum refining ($107,840 median), utilities ($106,640) and oil and gas extraction ($103,640).[oews_ind] BLS has no separate “industrial electrician” occupation. O*NET lists industrial, maintenance, control and paper mill electrician as job titles inside the single electrician occupation (SOC 47-2111).[onet_elec_sum] The way to see plant pay is therefore BLS’s industry-specific estimates: the same occupation, split by the employer’s industry.
| Industry | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Petroleum and coal products manufacturing | $107,840 | $51.85 | $76,630 | $125,670 | 1,190 |
| 2. Utilities | $106,640 | $51.27 | $63,950 | $132,790 | 8,980 |
| 3. Oil and gas extraction | $103,640 | $49.83 | $61,830 | $130,560 | 510 |
| 4. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing | $96,830 | $46.55 | $66,600 | $124,510 | 1,600 |
| 5. Motor vehicle manufacturing | $92,250 | $44.35 | $76,750 | $93,760 | 5,470 |
| 6. Warehousing and storage | $89,600 | $43.08 | $68,060 | $107,150 | 410 |
| 7. Mining (except oil and gas) | $83,940 | $40.36 | $63,740 | $100,730 | 4,240 |
| 8. Local government | $82,120 | $39.48 | $53,010 | $124,020 | 15,330 |
| 9. Transportation equipment manufacturing | $80,730 | $38.81 | $49,410 | $94,340 | 16,690 |
| 10. Chemical manufacturing | $80,560 | $38.73 | $61,530 | $105,800 | 2,350 |
| 11. State government | $79,360 | $38.15 | $52,620 | $116,910 | 2,950 |
| 12. Paper manufacturing | $79,150 | $38.05 | $62,190 | $95,660 | 1,790 |
| 13. Plastics and rubber products manufacturing | $78,310 | $37.65 | $56,960 | $88,210 | 1,980 |
| 14. Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing | $77,440 | $37.23 | $53,640 | $95,010 | 2,030 |
| 15. Hospitals | $76,840 | $36.94 | $59,400 | $107,060 | 4,140 |
| 16. Food manufacturing | $75,910 | $36.50 | $58,400 | $94,830 | 2,880 |
| 17. Federal government | $75,030 | $36.07 | $60,150 | $97,590 | 5,080 |
| 18. Heavy and civil engineering construction | $73,520 | $35.35 | $46,470 | $122,390 | 15,290 |
| 19. Support activities for mining | $72,540 | $34.88 | $49,560 | $113,830 | 2,090 |
| 20. Fabricated metal product manufacturing | $70,270 | $33.78 | $46,580 | $92,150 | 3,410 |
| 21. Primary metal manufacturing | $69,010 | $33.18 | $44,860 | $94,720 | 5,220 |
| 22. Educational services | $68,060 | $32.72 | $47,770 | $104,270 | 9,340 |
| 23. Support activities for transportation | $63,830 | $30.69 | $49,850 | $98,280 | 1,000 |
| 24. Construction of buildings | $63,750 | $30.65 | $44,580 | $101,980 | 18,980 |
| 25. Ship and boat building | $62,440 | $30.02 | $48,860 | $75,550 | 5,340 |
| 26. Building equipment contractors | $61,640 | $29.63 | $39,660 | $108,580 | 560,290 |
| 27. Machinery manufacturing | $60,170 | $28.93 | $41,150 | $83,150 | 4,910 |
| 28. Electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing | $59,220 | $28.47 | $45,000 | $96,420 | 1,990 |
| 29. Employment services | $57,760 | $27.77 | $45,560 | $83,990 | 20,510 |
| 30. Computer and electronic product manufacturing | $50,230 | $24.15 | $38,080 | $90,870 | 2,210 |
Highlighted: building equipment contractors, the industry where 74% of all 757,220 electricians work. Industry estimates are national only.[oews_ind]
Plant electrician pay vs contractor electrician pay
A plant electrician earns more than a contractor electrician in most factories: the median is above the $61,640 contractor median in 9 of the 12 manufacturing subsectors we pulled.[oews_ind] The gap is widest in refining, chemicals and paper. It reverses in machinery and electronics plants, where pay falls below contractor pay ($60,170 and $50,230).
Manufacturing employs few electricians next to construction: the manufacturing subsectors above account for about 46,650 jobs, against 560,290 at building equipment contractors.[oews_ind] So there are far fewer plant openings than contractor openings.
Maintenance electrician salary in plants
A maintenance electrician salary in a factory is usually $70,270 to $92,250, the medians for fabricated metal and motor vehicle plants.[oews_ind] BLS wage figures count straight-time pay only and leave out shift overtime.[oews_faq] Put your shift pattern into the calculator above: at the auto-plant median of $44.35 an hour, 8 hours of overtime a week adds about $27,675 a year before tax.[flsa]
Utility electrician salary
A utility electrician salary has a median of $106,640 ($51.27 an hour), which sits near the 89th percentile of all electricians.[oews_ind][onet_elec] Utilities employed 8,980 electricians in May 2025, and the top 10% made over $132,790. A single filer at the utility median keeps about $83,851 after 2026 federal income tax and FICA, before state tax.[irs] Power plant and substation work also employs related trades with their own pay. Line work is on lineman salary, and powerhouse repairers and plant operators are on highest paying trades.
| Industry | Median | 25th pct. | 75th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $106,640 | $87,860 | $119,410 | 8,980 |
| Oil and gas extraction | $103,640 | $77,190 | $121,680 | 510 |
| Mining (except oil and gas) | $83,940 | $75,820 | $93,350 | 4,240 |
| Support activities for mining | $72,540 | $60,070 | $82,150 | 2,090 |
Where industrial electricians earn less
Industrial electricians earn less in shipyards ($62,440), computer and electronics plants ($50,230) and staffing agencies ($57,760).[oews_ind] Staffing pay is the baseline for many first plant jobs, so ask an agency what the direct-hire rate is. Industry is only one factor, and state matters too: compare every state on electrician salary. To move up from a contractor job, licensed experience counts. See master electrician salary for the upper end and how to become an electrician for the license path.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an industrial electrician make?
Between $50,230 and $107,840 a year at the median, depending on the industry (BLS, May 2025); motor vehicle plants pay $92,250.
Do industrial electricians make more than construction electricians?
Usually. The contractor median is $61,640, and 9 of 12 manufacturing subsectors pay more, but machinery and electronics plants pay less.
What industry pays electricians the most?
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing, at a median of $107,840, followed by utilities ($106,640).
What is the hourly pay for a maintenance electrician?
About $33.78 to $44.35 at the median in fabricated metal and motor vehicle plants, before overtime.
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, electricians (47-2111): employment, mean and percentile wages by industry (OEUN series), Public Data API v2
- Summary Report for 47-2111.00, Electricians (reported titles include Industrial Electrician, Maintenance Electrician, Control Electrician, Paper Mill Electrician)
- Local Wages: 47-2111.00 Electricians (state and metro percentiles)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Overtime Pay (Fair Labor Standards Act: time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek)
- IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)