Pennsylvania boasted the 5th highest number of jobs for electricians in the country as of 2015 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry expects a large increase in the number of jobs for electricians in the state during the ten-year period ending in 2024. This Department reports that more than 3,200 jobs will become available during this time frame.
Philadelphia saw construction on 29 high-rises in May 2016 according to the magazine Curbed Philadelphia. In addition, Drexel broke ground on its $16 million expansion of the Korman Center in July 2016.
The Pittsburgh Business Times reported several major construction projects in the works in the region as of July 2016:
- Plans are underway to redevelop the 180,000-square foot mill building in Hazelwood
- Community Bank started construction of its 22,500-square foot operations center in Waynesburg
- Caterpillar will be building a new 64,500-square foot robotics facility on the site of the former Heppenstall Steel Company mill in Lawrenceville
Salaries for Residential Electricians in Urban and Rural Pennsylvania
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians throughout Pennsylvania. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians Throughout Pennsylvania
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in a large number of Pennsylvania’s cities and several rural areas (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers:
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $65,900 – $94,290
- Altoona: $68,610 – $88,770
- Harrisburg-Carlisle: $73,690 – $92,340
- Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County: $68,890 – $85,410
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $73,770 – $98,390
- Pittsburgh: $68,110 – $88,070
- Reading: $74,550 – $96,260
- York-Hanover: $78,540 – $115,970
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment:
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $51,260 – $65,020
- East Stroudsburg: $52,000 – $57,060
- Erie: $41,120 – $58,200
- Harrisburg-Carlisle: $46,110 – $58,390
- Lancaster: $54,350 – $70,340
- Lebanon: $55,810 – $58,400
- Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County: $56,590 – $78,430
- Philadelphia: $43,930 – $61,450
- Pittsburgh: $52,820 – $65,020
- Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton: $53,040 – $61,520
- Williamsport: $42,850 – $60,440
- York-Hanover: $43,000 – $60,740
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay:
- Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County: $67,280 – $78,680
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $72,730 – $92,450
- Pittsburgh: 468,300 – $83,660
- York-Hanover: $68,730 – $89,600
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Transportation Equipment:
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $56,730 – $72,730
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers Specializing in Motor Vehicles:
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $34,520 – $38,200
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $31,530 – $49,890
- Pittsburgh: $33,800 – $88,790
Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers:
- Erie: $45,030 – $49,890
- Harrisburg-Carlisle: $28,730 – $37,940
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $37,360 – $62,290
- Pittsburgh: $29,590 – $46,630
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers:
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $44,530 – $62,530
- East Stroudsburg: $47,620 – $60,360
- Harrisburg-Carlisle: $44.490 – $55.460
- Lancaster: $43,110 – $61,940
- Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County: $49,550 – $64,570
- Philadelphia: $47,040 – $61,570
- Pittsburgh: $42.080 – $59,210
- Reading: $48,790 – $72,810
- Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton: $47,250 – $76,200
- York-Hanover: $30,990 – $50,260
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Pennsylvania’s Major Cities and Rural Northern Pennsylvania
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in Pennsylvania’s four largest cities and rural North Northeastern Pennsylvania. Shown below is information that represents the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship (2015):