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How to become an electrician in Florida
Florida does not license individual journeyman electricians; counties and cities license them. The state licenses electrical contractors: a Certified license works statewide, a Registered license only where the holder holds a local competency card. Electricians in Florida earned a median $57,250 a year in May 2025 ($27.52 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Florida
The licensing authority is Florida DBPR, Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Electrical Contractor (statewide) | Pass the state certification exam and meet one of the experience requirements, among them three years' management experience in the trade in the last six, or four years as a foreman, supervisor or contractor in the trade in the last eight; either way, at least 40% of the experience must be in 3-phase services. Works anywhere in Florida. Certified examination application fee $263.25; the computer-based exam is separate. | — | State Certified Electrical Contractor exam (computer-based, Pearson VUE) | $263.25 |
| Registered Electrical Contractor (local) | Hold a local county or municipal certificate of competency, then register it with the state board. Works only in the counties or municipalities where the local license is held. | — | Local county/municipal competency exam (set locally) | $151 |
| Journeyman Electrician (county/municipal, not state-issued) | Florida does not license journeyman electricians. The local county or city licensing office where you intend to work sets the requirements, exam and fees. | — | — | not published |
Renewal. Biennial (renews August 31 of every even-numbered year), with 11 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: DBPR Electrical Contractors FAQs (retrieved 2026-09-24) · DBPR Electrical Contractors (retrieved 2026-09-16). Requirements change; confirm with Florida DBPR, Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB) before you act.
The steps in order, with exams, fees and renewal → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as an electrician in Florida?
Florida does not license individual journeyman electricians; counties and cities license them. The state licenses electrical contractors: a Certified license works statewide, a Registered license only where the holder holds a local competency card.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Florida?
The published fees in the table above run from $151 to $263.25 depending on the tier. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become an electrician in Florida?
It depends on which credential you need and the training and testing each step takes; the full path is in the table above.
How much do electricians make in Florida?
Electricians in Florida earned a median $57,250 a year in May 2025, $27.52 an hour. That median is 9% below the national figure of $63,190, and Florida ranks 48 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Florida?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Florida under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 2,149 apprentices started, at a median $16.00 an hour across the 2,146 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $24.30 an hour at completion (695 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Florida
Electricians in Florida earned a median $57,250 a year in May 2025, $27.52 an hour. 49,700 people held the job, 5.0 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 9% below the national figure of $63,190, and Florida ranks 48 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Florida
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.36 | $38,190 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.91 | $47,660 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.52 | $57,250 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $29.76 | $61,900 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $37.10 | $77,180 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $27.72 | $57,660 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in Florida
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL employs the most electricians of the 22 metro areas based in Florida that BLS publishes, 12,990, at a median $58,630 a year. The best-paid is Naples-Marco Island, FL at $60,020.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 12,990 | $58,630 | $38,360 | $80,840 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 7,170 | $57,450 | $38,960 | $76,700 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 6,970 | $50,820 | $37,820 | $74,540 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 4,990 | $58,280 | $38,080 | $77,200 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 2,140 | $57,930 | $38,230 | $75,510 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 1,620 | $51,930 | $37,920 | $74,570 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 1,220 | $58,450 | $37,330 | $78,980 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 1,140 | $48,950 | $37,470 | $71,560 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | 1,110 | $60,020 | $39,620 | $80,440 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 1,100 | $58,540 | $38,370 | $77,680 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 1,020 | $54,920 | $37,240 | $75,750 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 970 | $50,510 | $36,800 | $73,990 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 830 | $54,090 | $36,420 | $70,180 |
| Ocala, FL | 670 | $47,700 | $35,570 | $64,650 |
| Gainesville, FL | 650 | $55,680 | $36,930 | $72,040 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 550 | $57,200 | $38,550 | $83,060 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 550 | $52,900 | $38,350 | $72,390 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 360 | $55,610 | $38,960 | $119,360 |
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 270 | $52,960 | $36,410 | $73,430 |
| Punta Gorda, FL | 260 | $57,860 | $37,300 | $71,750 |
| Homosassa Springs, FL | 170 | $49,050 | $36,280 | $75,330 |
| Sebring, FL | 110 | $48,070 | $35,510 | $66,520 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown.
Florida against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Texas | $58,570 | 76,770 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $58,390 | 5,020 |
| 47 | Georgia | $58,320 | 21,650 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,250 | 49,700 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $56,800 | 21,640 |
| 50 | Alabama | $55,690 | 10,900 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $49,070 | 7,500 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $57,250 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $27.52 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,190 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $77,180 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 49,700 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Florida
U.S. Department of Labor records list 4,938 registered apprentices active in Florida in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to electricians (SOC 47-2111). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 2,149 apprentices started, at a median $16.00 an hour across the 2,146 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $24.30 an hour at completion (695 completers with an exit wage DOL counts).
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · What those wages come to at your hours a week → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Wages are DOL's own hourly figures in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Florida
Plumbers and pipefitters ($52,910) · HVAC technicians ($56,670) · Welders ($50,640) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($50,640) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($86,870) · Elevator installers ($104,730) · Ironworkers ($55,700) · Sheet metal workers ($49,640) · Carpenters ($49,870) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($52,760) · Auto service technicians ($48,260) · Diesel mechanics ($60,490) · Heavy equipment operators ($49,400) · Machinists ($57,140)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Florida.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.