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How to become an electrician in Minnesota
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry licenses electricians and registers the unlicensed electricians who work under them: to do electrical work you must be at least 17, licensed by DLI or registered as an unlicensed electrician, and a W-2 employee of a licensed electrical contractor or registered electrical employer (or the owner of a licensed contractor). The journeyworker license takes 48 months of experience, at least 24 of them wiring and installing, and a written exam; the master license takes graduation from a four-year electrical course at an accredited college or university, or experience acceptable to the commissioner (a year as a licensed journeyworker or five years of planning, laying out, supervising and installing), and its own exam. Electricians in Minnesota earned a median $78,160 a year in May 2025 ($37.58 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Minnesota
The licensing authority is Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Unlicensed Electrician | At least 17 and a W-2 employee of a licensed electrical contractor or registered electrical employer (or the owner of a licensed electrical contractor); register with DLI ($14). The work must fall within the employer's scope and be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master electrician employed by the same contractor or employer, who may supervise no more than two unlicensed individuals. The registration is valid for one year from the end of the month of registration and renews with two hours of continuing education, a $19 fee and a work experience verification form. | — | — | $14 |
| Journeyworker Electrician (Class A) | 48 months of experience, at least 24 of them wiring for and installing electrical wiring, apparatus and equipment; up to 24 months of maintaining and repairing, three of line work, six of installing elevators and six of technology circuits or systems can count toward the rest. Experience in Minnesota after January 1, 2009 counts only if gained while registered with or licensed by DLI, and credit is granted for work for a DLI-licensed electrical contractor or registered employer, or for verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in another state; completing a board-approved two-year post-high-school electrical course counts for up to one year. Then the written exam, which must be passed before you can apply for the license. Exam fee $50; the license, which runs two years from its issue, then costs a $40 base fee and an $8 board fee. | — | Written journeyworker electrician exam | $98 |
| Master Electrician (Class A) | Graduation from a four-year electrical course at an accredited college or university, at least one year of experience, acceptable to the commissioner, as a licensed journeyworker, or at least five years of experience, acceptable to the commissioner, in planning for, laying out, supervising and installing wiring, apparatus or equipment for electrical light, heat and power, which the rule counts as at least 60 months, including at least two months each of planning, laying out and supervising and 12 months of wiring and installing. Then the written master exam. DLI sends instructions for paying for the license after you pass: a $40 base fee for a one-year master license or $80 for two, plus a $4 or $8 board fee. | — | Written master electrician exam | not published |
Renewal. Every two years for a journeyworker, at the end of the month the license was first issued ($53); a master license expires the last day of February of each odd-numbered year ($93); at least 12 of the hours must relate to the National Electrical Code, with 16 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: Minnesota DLI: electrical licensing basics (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota DLI: experience requirements, electrical license (Minn. R. 3800.3500 to 3800.3520) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota DLI: continuing education, electrical (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 (electrical licenses) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 (electrical license experience) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota Statutes 326B.092 (license fees) (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) 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 Minnesota?
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry licenses electricians and registers the unlicensed electricians who work under them: to do electrical work you must be at least 17, licensed by DLI or registered as an unlicensed electrician, and a W-2 employee of a licensed electrical contractor or registered electrical employer (or the owner of a licensed contractor). The journeyworker license takes 48 months of experience, at least 24 of them wiring and installing, and a written exam; the master license takes graduation from a four-year electrical course at an accredited college or university, or experience acceptable to the commissioner (a year as a licensed journeyworker or five years of planning, laying out, supervising and installing), and its own exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Minnesota?
The published fees in the table above run from $14 to $98 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 Minnesota?
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 Minnesota?
Electricians in Minnesota earned a median $78,160 a year in May 2025, $37.58 an hour. That median is 24% above the national figure of $63,190, and Minnesota ranks 9 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Minnesota?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Minnesota under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 446 apprentices started, at a median $22.50 an hour across the 438 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $50.74 an hour at completion (137 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Minnesota
Electricians in Minnesota earned a median $78,160 a year in May 2025, $37.58 an hour. 14,350 people held the job, 4.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 24% above the national figure of $63,190, and Minnesota ranks 9 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Minnesota
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.83 | $47,480 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $28.09 | $58,430 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $37.58 | $78,160 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $48.76 | $101,410 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $57.13 | $118,820 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $38.86 | $80,830 | 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 Minnesota
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI employs the most electricians of the 5 metro areas based in Minnesota that BLS publishes, 8,810, at a median $81,890 a year. The best-paid is Mankato, MN at $83,120.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 8,810 | $81,890 | $48,970 | $123,250 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 730 | $81,890 | $47,860 | $103,540 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 680 | $82,700 | $47,060 | $110,010 |
| Rochester, MN | 510 | $79,650 | $46,090 | $118,080 |
| Mankato, MN | 260 | $83,120 | $50,140 | $100,770 |
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 Minnesota: Sioux Falls, SD-MN, Fargo, ND-MN, Grand Forks, ND-MN and La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN.
Minnesota against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $77,540 | 7,710 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $77,250 | 13,520 |
| 12 | Montana | $76,760 | 2,750 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $78,160 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $37.58 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $47,480 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $118,820 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 14,350 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Minnesota
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,219 registered apprentices active in Minnesota 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, 446 apprentices started, at a median $22.50 an hour across the 438 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $50.74 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 Minnesota
Plumbers and pipefitters ($94,410) · HVAC technicians ($76,350) · Welders ($60,280) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($61,990) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($104,180) · Elevator installers ($128,020) · Ironworkers ($95,320) · Sheet metal workers ($72,970) · Carpenters ($64,930) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($95,220) · Auto service technicians ($58,390) · Diesel mechanics ($66,840) · Heavy equipment operators ($79,130) · Machinists ($61,140)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Minnesota.
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.