How Much Do Electricians Make in Texas? 2026 Pay Guide

Key Takeaways

• Texas electricians earned a median of $28.16 an hour ($58,570 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• That sits about $2.22 an hour below the $30.38 national median.
• Half of Texas electricians earn more than $58,570 a year, and the top 10% earn more than $80,300.
• Among major Texas metros, Houston leads with an average of $29.55 an hour and El Paso trails at $25.07.
• A Texas journeyman license takes 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician, per TDLR.

The median electrician pay in Texas is $58,570 per year, or $28.16 per hour, according to May 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay ranges from about $18 an hour for newer apprentices to $38.61 or more for the top 10%, and your license level and metro move you along that range. Below is what Texas electricians earn by level and by city, what pushes pay higher, and how to get there.

Texas Electrician Salary Overview

Texas runs a little below the national market. The state median of $28.16 an hour is about 7% under the $30.38 national median, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro median of $28.37 sits just above the state figure. The upside is volume. Texas has some of the busiest construction markets in the country, so steady work and overtime are easier to find than in most states.

Salary Ranges and Percentiles for Texas Electricians

BLS counts apprentices, journeymen and masters in one electrician occupation, so its percentiles are the best public stand-in for experience. Newer apprentices sit near the low end, and seasoned journeymen and masters sit near the top. The figures below come from the BLS May 2025 estimates for Texas, with hourly rates based on 2,080 hours a year.

Helpers sit below the electrician range. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, electrician helpers earned a median of $21.39 an hour, or $44,490 a year, according to the BLS metro estimates, which is a fair benchmark for a first-year apprentice.

Electrician Salary by City in Texas

Where you work in Texas changes your rate. Hourly mean wages for electricians vary across the major metros, according to May 2025 BLS data.

• Houston. The highest average of the big metros at $29.55 an hour, which makes electrician pay in Houston the Texas benchmark.
• Austin. Close behind at $29.25 an hour, so electrician pay in Austin tracks Houston.
• Dallas-Fort Worth. An average of $28.83, a metro median of $28.37 and a top 10% at $39.26 or more, which puts electrician pay in Dallas just above the state median.
• San Antonio. An average of $27.42 an hour, so electrician pay in San Antonio runs a little under the other big metros.

Factors That Impact Electrician Pay

Not every Texas electrician earns the same rate. A few factors separate the top earners from the middle of the pack.

• License level. Moving from apprentice to journeyman to master is the biggest raise you'll get, from around the 25th percentile to the median and then the top 10%.
• Sector and project type. Industrial and data center work pulls experienced electricians. Fort Worth alone has four data center developments spanning 10 buildings, according to the City of Fort Worth, and that work leans on switchgear and power distribution experience.
• Location. Houston and Austin pay more on average than San Antonio and El Paso, so the same license can earn more in a bigger metro.
• Overtime. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime pays at least time and a half past 40 hours a week. A $34.20 journeyman earns $51.30 an hour on overtime, and a $28.16 electrician earns $42.24.
• Benefits and per diem. Health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off and per diem on travel jobs can add a lot to total pay, so compare the whole offer and not just the hourly rate.

Demand keeps growing. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects electrician jobs to grow 9% nationally from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.

How to Raise Your Pay with a Texas License

A Texas journeyman license takes 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The path to becoming a licensed electrician in Texas runs from apprentice registration through those hours to the journeyman exam.

Once you're licensed, you need 4 hours of continuing education before each renewal, which you can finish in our $5 TDLR-approved CE course.

What Contractors Should Be Paying Texas Electricians

If you run electrical crews in Texas, the ranges above are your benchmark. Plan on the $28.16 median to stay at market, pay toward the $34.20 75th percentile for experienced journeymen you can't afford to lose, and check national journeyman pay when you recruit from out of state.

If you need electricians in Houston, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio, Buildforce connects you with interviewed, verified electricians who work as W-2 employees, for a transparent markup above their wage.