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How to become an electrician in Michigan
Michigan licenses electricians at the state level through LARA on a tiered path: Apprentice (registration), Journeyman (8,000 hours over 4 years plus an exam), Master (12,000 hours plus an exam), and Electrical Contractor. Electricians in Michigan earned a median $76,270 a year in May 2025 ($36.67 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Michigan
The licensing authority is Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice (registration) | Register within 30 days of employment by a master electrician and contractor; stay enrolled in related technical instruction; renew yearly. No exam. | — | — | $15 |
| Electrical Journeyman | At least 20; complete 8,000 hours and 4 years as a registered apprentice under a licensed journeyman or master; pass the PSI exam (minimum 75%). License fee $40. | 8,000 hrs (at least 4 yrs) | Electrical journey exam (PSI, minimum 75%) | $40 |
| Master Electrician | At least 22; 4,000 hours as a journeyman and the journeyman license held at least 2 years; 12,000 hours over at least 6 years; pass the PSI exam (minimum 75%). License fee $50. | 12,000 hrs (at least 6 yrs) | Master electrician exam (PSI, minimum 75%) | $50 |
| Electrical Contractor | Hold a master license or employ a licensed master electrician of record. No exam, but you must apply. | — | — | not published |
Reciprocity. Michigan holds no electrician reciprocity; out-of-state applicants submit their license and that state's requirements for review. The City of Detroit issues its own electrical licenses.
Renewal. Annual for the journeyman and master licenses (the electrical contractor license renews every three years).
Licensing sources: Michigan LARA Electrical Licensing (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Michigan LARA License Renewals (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5707: electrical license fees (retrieved 2026-09-23) · MCL 339.5731 (only a licensed individual installs electrical wiring) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · MCL 339.5717 (apprentice electrician registration) (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes 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 Michigan?
Michigan licenses electricians at the state level through LARA on a tiered path: Apprentice (registration), Journeyman (8,000 hours over 4 years plus an exam), Master (12,000 hours plus an exam), and Electrical Contractor.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Michigan?
The published fees in the table above run from $15 to $50 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 Michigan?
You can be licensed as Electrical Journeyman after 8,000 hours of on-the-job training over at least 4 years; higher tiers take longer.
How much do electricians make in Michigan?
Electricians in Michigan earned a median $76,270 a year in May 2025, $36.67 an hour. That median is 21% above the national figure of $63,190, and Michigan ranks 14 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Michigan?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Michigan under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 1,340 apprentices started, at a median $17.31 an hour across the 1,338 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $34.41 an hour at completion (558 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Michigan
Electricians in Michigan earned a median $76,270 a year in May 2025, $36.67 an hour. 23,530 people held the job, 5.3 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 21% above the national figure of $63,190, and Michigan ranks 14 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Michigan
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.66 | $42,980 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $24.21 | $50,360 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $36.67 | $76,270 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $44.38 | $92,300 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $49.58 | $103,120 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $35.50 | $73,840 | 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 Michigan
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI employs the most electricians of the 15 metro areas based in Michigan that BLS publishes, 11,210, at a median $81,990 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 11,210 | $81,990 | $46,660 | $107,330 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 2,880 | $62,240 | $38,490 | $97,760 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 1,140 | $80,480 | $44,550 | $95,630 |
| Flint, MI | 790 | $78,270 | $44,200 | $101,110 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 680 | $65,690 | $39,540 | $100,900 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 610 | $81,450 | $46,230 | $106,160 |
| Traverse City, MI | 390 | $61,650 | $37,160 | $91,240 |
| Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 340 | $77,100 | $43,400 | $96,820 |
| Saginaw, MI | 300 | $79,860 | $44,060 | $94,360 |
| Jackson, MI | 240 | $63,540 | $38,400 | $101,370 |
| Niles, MI | 240 | $64,060 | $40,220 | $107,660 |
| Battle Creek, MI | 230 | $76,630 | $44,650 | $86,260 |
| Bay City, MI | 210 | $80,450 | $45,230 | $102,960 |
| Midland, MI | 210 | $51,310 | $35,540 | $82,630 |
| Monroe, MI | 150 | $80,620 | $46,800 | $110,390 |
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 Michigan: South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI.
Michigan against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | New Jersey | $77,250 | 13,520 |
| 12 | Montana | $76,760 | 2,750 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $76,540 | 14,310 |
| 14 | Michigan | $76,270 | 23,530 |
| 15 | California | $76,160 | 73,310 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $76,120 | 2,960 |
| 17 | Maine | $75,380 | 3,780 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Michigan | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $76,270 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $36.67 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $42,980 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $103,120 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 23,530 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Michigan
U.S. Department of Labor records list 3,553 registered apprentices active in Michigan 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, 1,340 apprentices started, at a median $17.31 an hour across the 1,338 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $34.41 an hour at completion (558 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 Michigan
Plumbers and pipefitters ($80,190) · HVAC technicians ($60,850) · Welders ($49,990) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($57,180) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($106,890) · Elevator installers ($99,140) · Ironworkers ($62,830) · Sheet metal workers ($64,490) · Carpenters ($61,680) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($63,500) · Auto service technicians ($54,120) · Diesel mechanics ($61,420) · Heavy equipment operators ($62,690) · Machinists ($52,360)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Michigan.
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.