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How to become an electrician in Louisiana
Louisiana's State Licensing Board for Contractors licenses electrical contractors: a subcontractor who bids on or performs commercial electrical work on a project of $10,000 or more must be licensed with the Board. The pages read do not say whether an individual electrician needs a state license. New Orleans, for example, requires electricians working in the city to obtain and renew each year a city electrical license: a Class E trainee license for a helper working under a Class A master license holder, and a Class D journeyman license after the ICC journeyman electrician exam. Electricians in Louisiana earned a median $61,540 a year in May 2025 ($29.59 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Louisiana
The licensing authority is Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (electrical contractors). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Class E Electrician Trainee license (city example) | At least 18, with a signed statement on company letterhead from the Class A master license holder, or the local union representative, the trainee works under; $30, renewed every year. | — | — | $30 |
| New Orleans Class D Journeyman Electrician license (city example) | At least 18, with a passing ICC official results report for the F17 National Standard Journeyman Electrician exam and the city's Journeyman Acknowledgement Document; $60, renewed every year. A journeyman electrician must be employed by and work under the supervision of a Class A Electrical Contractor. | — | ICC F17 National Standard Journeyman Electrician | $60 |
Renewal. New Orleans electrical licenses are renewed every year.
Licensing sources: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors: FAQ (retrieved 2026-09-24) · City of New Orleans: Class D journeyman electrical license (retrieved 2026-09-24) · City of New Orleans: Class E electrician trainee license (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (electrical contractors) 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 Louisiana?
Louisiana's State Licensing Board for Contractors licenses electrical contractors: a subcontractor who bids on or performs commercial electrical work on a project of $10,000 or more must be licensed with the Board. The pages read do not say whether an individual electrician needs a state license. New Orleans, for example, requires electricians working in the city to obtain and renew each year a city electrical license: a Class E trainee license for a helper working under a Class A master license holder, and a Class D journeyman license after the ICC journeyman electrician exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Louisiana?
The published fees in the table above run from $30 to $60 depending on the tier. They are charged by New Orleans, not by the state. 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 Louisiana?
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 Louisiana?
Electricians in Louisiana earned a median $61,540 a year in May 2025, $29.59 an hour. That median is 3% below the national figure of $63,190, and Louisiana ranks 35 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Louisiana?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Louisiana under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 505 apprentices started, at a median $16.00 an hour across the 505 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $26.48 an hour at completion (137 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Louisiana
Electricians in Louisiana earned a median $61,540 a year in May 2025, $29.59 an hour. 10,550 people held the job, 5.5 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 3% below the national figure of $63,190, and Louisiana ranks 35 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Louisiana
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.63 | $38,750 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $23.51 | $48,910 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $29.59 | $61,540 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $35.02 | $72,840 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $39.33 | $81,810 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $29.98 | $62,350 | 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 Louisiana
Baton Rouge, LA employs the most electricians of the 10 metro areas based in Louisiana that BLS publishes, 3,320, at a median $65,330 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | 3,320 | $65,330 | $48,760 | $81,810 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 2,240 | $62,490 | $38,990 | $82,530 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 800 | $60,830 | $37,420 | $75,180 |
| Lafayette, LA | 730 | $59,820 | $37,270 | $79,490 |
| Lake Charles, LA | 590 | $63,620 | $36,900 | $96,790 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 460 | $57,650 | $39,130 | $77,710 |
| Monroe, LA | 390 | $60,940 | $35,130 | $73,800 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 310 | $56,670 | $38,470 | $75,670 |
| Alexandria, LA | 170 | $50,200 | $35,400 | $78,430 |
| Hammond, LA | 160 | $50,700 | $36,880 | $66,670 |
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.
Louisiana against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | New Hampshire | $62,840 | 3,330 |
| 33 | Colorado | $62,230 | 17,010 |
| 34 | Utah | $62,000 | 11,450 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $61,540 | 10,550 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $61,390 | 2,980 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $61,090 | 17,070 |
| 38 | Arizona | $61,060 | 21,140 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Louisiana | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $61,540 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $29.59 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,750 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $81,810 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 10,550 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Louisiana
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,191 registered apprentices active in Louisiana 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, 505 apprentices started, at a median $16.00 an hour across the 505 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $26.48 an hour at completion (137 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 Louisiana
Plumbers and pipefitters ($63,680) · HVAC technicians ($58,650) · Welders ($62,250) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($49,320) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($76,410) · Ironworkers ($68,830) · Sheet metal workers ($50,320) · Carpenters ($49,920) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($57,440) · Auto service technicians ($46,400) · Diesel mechanics ($58,680) · Heavy equipment operators ($51,700) · Machinists ($61,110)
See all 14 ranked by pay in Louisiana.
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.