The number of jobs for electricians in Oklahoma is expected to increase by 15% during the ten-year period ending in 2024 according to the state’s Employment Security Commission. The Commission expects that heavy and civil engineering construction will have the 5th fastest rate of increase in jobs of any industry in Oklahoma through 2018.
The construction industry in Oklahoma emerged from its decline and added 2,400 jobs in the final four months of 2015. In fact, investment in residential construction grew at its fastest rate in more than three years.
Contractors currently struggle to find skilled construction workers in Oklahoma. All of the contractors surveyed in Oklahoma in 2015 expected to have difficulty to find and hire skilled craft workers such as electricians in the coming year according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
Between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 11 transportation projects are underway that will take two years to complete according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Also, the University of Oklahoma embarked on a number of major construction projects. The Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium should be completed by the fall of 2016, while two major projects are due for completion in 2017:
- Jenkins Avenue Parking Facility
- Student Housing Expansion in the Residential Colleges
Salaries for Residential Electricians in Urban and Rural Oklahoma
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians throughout Oklahoma. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians in Oklahoma
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in Oklahoma’s major cities and its rural areas (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Oklahoma City:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $64,010 – $78,900
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers Specializing in Transportation Equipment: $56,470 – $61,880
- Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers: $34,170 – $49,200
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $37,050 – $56,700
Tulsa:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $55,360 – $84,450
- Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers: $28,200 – $33,170
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $40,290 – $59,450
Lawton:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $65,430 – $78,880
- Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers: $36,850 – $49,200
Northeast Rural Oklahoma:
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay: $74,070 – $96,230
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $38,950 – $79,180
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $30,680 – $56,340
Northwest Rural Oklahoma:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $48,830 – $75,360
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $26,120 – $38,080
Southeast Rural Oklahoma:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $52,160 – $72,780
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay: $68,990 – $80,740
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $27,900 – $42,220
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Rural Oklahoma
Oklahoma had the 3rd highest concentration of jobs for electrician apprentices in the country in 2015 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This agency provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and rural Oklahoma. Shown below is information that represents the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship: