The job market for electricians is so strong in Alabama that the profession made the Alabama Department of Labor’s list of most in-demand jobs that require an associate’s degree or less. In fact, the Department expects the number of electrician jobs in the state to increase by 16.7% during the ten-year period leading up to 2022.
Alabama’s construction industry added $9.6 billion to the state’s economy in 2013 according to a study commissioned by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Alabama. Even Geoff Golden, chairman of ABC Alabama when they commissioned the study, found this result to be “shocking” according to AL.com.
At that time, the construction industry provided 116,644 direct jobs with commercial construction alone accounting for 61,858 of these jobs. According to GoBuildAlabama.com, the rate of construction-related job growth in the state was so high between July and August 2014 that the state ranked 5th in the country in terms of the number of construction jobs added during this period.
Alabama News Center published an article in early 2016 on how the construction industry is searching for new blood to replace contractors in skilled trades like electrical work as they near retirement.
High profile commercial projects that are helping to drive the demand for more electricians in Alabama in 2016 include:
- A new $7 million Holiday Inn Express in Decatur (Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce)
- A new 40,000- square foot, $14.5 million building for First US Bank on Highway 280 in Birmingham (Alabama News Center)
- The 1,252-acre site in Huntsville that just received TVA certification and will be developed (Made In Alabama)
Salaries for Residential Electricians Throughout Alabama
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians in Alabama’s major cities and rural areas. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians in Alabama’s Major Cities
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work throughout Alabama (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Electrical and Electronic Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment:
- Birmingham-Hoover: $61,400 – $71,640
- Decatur: $77,090 – $87,800
- Huntsville: $61,200 – $72,390
- Mobile: $72,810 – $79,740
- Montgomery: $64,770 – $68,940
- Tuscaloosa: $59,550 – $65,480
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay:
- Birmingham-Hoover: $85,470 – $97,260
- Decatur: $84,080 – $84,090
- Mobile: $85,700 – $96,790
- Montgomery: $77,000 – $81,030
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers:
- Birmingham-Hoover: $79,980 – $91,360
- Decatur: $81,180 – $93,700
- Huntsville: $72,440 – $78,820
- Mobile: $91,240 – $98,650
- Montgomery: $77,120 – $80,480
Electronic and Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers:
- Birmingham-Hoover: $44,170 – $49,820
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers and Repairers:
- Birmingham-Hoover: $48,740 – $57,500
- Huntsville: $38,350 – $48,100
- Mobile: $49,110 – $57.650
- Montgomery: $47,280 – $52,340
- Tuscaloosa: $56,110 – $60,210
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Alabama
Electrician apprentices in the Mobile and Daphne areas were the highest paid in the state (Salary data for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” is shown here to represent the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship; 2015):