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How to become an electrician in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires a license from the Board of State Examiners of Electricians to install electrical wiring: a journeyman license after 600 hours of Board-approved education and 8,000 hours of work over at least four years, then a master license for a journeyman with at least a year of work experience and 150 more hours of education. An apprentice employed by a licensed electrician or electrical business needs no license of their own. Electricians in Massachusetts earned a median $79,420 a year in May 2025 ($38.18 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Massachusetts
The licensing authority is Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician | 600 hours of Board-approved education, a 15-hour code-update class and 8,000 hours of work over at least 4 years under a licensed Massachusetts journeyman, then the PSI exam (a trade portion and a business/practical portion). The application fee is $31, paid when you submit the application for review, and the license fee $104, paid once you are approved for licensure; together they are the $135 fee shown. The PSI exam fees, a separate $135 for both portions, are paid directly to PSI when you schedule the exam. | 8,000 hrs (at least 4 yrs) | PSI exam: trade portion and business/practical portion | $135 |
| Master Electrician | Hold a Massachusetts journeyman license, with at least 1 year of work experience and 150 hours of Board-approved education, then pass the PSI exam. The application fee is $66, paid when you submit the application for review, and the license fee $155, paid once you are approved for licensure; the exam fees, $135 for both portions, are paid directly to PSI when you schedule the exam. | — | PSI exam: trade portion and business/practical portion | $221 |
Reciprocity. Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire.
Renewal. Before the July 31st expiration date, with proof of 21 hours of continuing education completed in the three years before renewal ($78 for a journeyman, $117 for a master).
Licensing sources: Mass.gov: Apply for an individual electrical or systems license (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Mass.gov: Continuing education providers for electricians (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Mass.gov: Renew your electrician, systems technician, or systems contractor license (retrieved 2026-10-03) · M.G.L. c. 141, § 1A (license required to install wires) (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) before you act.
Years to this license at your hours a week → · 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 Massachusetts?
Massachusetts requires a license from the Board of State Examiners of Electricians to install electrical wiring: a journeyman license after 600 hours of Board-approved education and 8,000 hours of work over at least four years, then a master license for a journeyman with at least a year of work experience and 150 more hours of education. An apprentice employed by a licensed electrician or electrical business needs no license of their own.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Massachusetts?
The published fees in the table above run from $135 to $221 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 Massachusetts?
You can be licensed as Journeyman Electrician after 8,000 hours of on-the-job training over at least 4 years.
How much do electricians make in Massachusetts?
Electricians in Massachusetts earned a median $79,420 a year in May 2025, $38.18 an hour. That median is 26% above the national figure of $63,190, and Massachusetts ranks 6 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Massachusetts?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Massachusetts under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 60 apprentices started, at a median $17.50 an hour across the 60 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 9 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs. Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Massachusetts
Electricians in Massachusetts earned a median $79,420 a year in May 2025, $38.18 an hour. 17,810 people held the job, 4.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 26% above the national figure of $63,190, and Massachusetts ranks 6 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Massachusetts
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.59 | $46,990 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $27.82 | $57,860 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $38.18 | $79,420 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $48.31 | $100,480 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $61.64 | $128,210 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $39.21 | $81,560 | 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 Massachusetts
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH employs the most electricians of the 6 metro areas based in Massachusetts that BLS publishes, 13,410, at a median $79,910 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 13,410 | $79,910 | $47,240 | $129,320 |
| Worcester, MA | 1,580 | $75,510 | $46,380 | $100,240 |
| Springfield, MA | 860 | $77,420 | $47,050 | $109,280 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 470 | $78,570 | $45,240 | $116,730 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 320 | $74,780 | $45,800 | $101,330 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 240 | $76,980 | $40,830 | $98,440 |
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. Listed under another state but reaching into Massachusetts: Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.
Massachusetts against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Hawaii | $96,460 | 3,070 |
| 4 | Washington | $95,220 | 19,380 |
| 5 | Alaska | $89,440 | 1,870 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $79,420 | 17,810 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $78,970 | 2,440 |
| 8 | New York | $78,750 | 40,130 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $78,160 | 14,350 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $79,420 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $38.18 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $46,990 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $128,210 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 17,810 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Massachusetts
U.S. Department of Labor records list 163 registered apprentices active in Massachusetts 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, 60 apprentices started, at a median $17.50 an hour across the 60 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 9 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
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 Massachusetts
Plumbers and pipefitters ($93,880) · HVAC technicians ($77,300) · Welders ($62,570) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($63,030) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($110,210) · Elevator installers ($138,420) · Ironworkers ($120,840) · Sheet metal workers ($82,100) · Carpenters ($75,200) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($94,950) · Auto service technicians ($60,760) · Diesel mechanics ($73,270) · Heavy equipment operators ($76,820) · Machinists ($67,270)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Massachusetts.
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.