Home › Trades › Electricians › Missouri
How to become an electrician in Missouri
Missouri's statewide electrical contractor license is optional, and cities and counties set their own electrical contractor licensing: some require a local license and some do not. Kansas City, for example, requires the work of a licensed electrical contractor to be done by or under a master electrician certificate holder. Electricians in Missouri earned a median $65,410 a year in May 2025 ($31.45 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Missouri
The licensing authority is Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (an optional license) and local authorities, Kansas City shown as the example. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Master Electrician certificate (city example) | At least three years of full-time electrical work at journeyman, foreman, supervisor or contractor level, one of them commercial or industrial (two years with an electrical engineering degree), shown by two notarized reference letters; at least 21, with a high-school diploma or GED (or an extra year of experience for each year lacking); pass the city's recognized Prometric (20114) and ICC (W16) master electrician exams, or have a comparable passing score accepted. Application fee $60. | — | Prometric 20114 and ICC W16 master electrician exams | $60 |
| Kansas City Electrical Contractor license (business, city example) | The license an individual or business needs to perform the regulated work, applied for separately from the supervisor's certificate; the work is done by or under a master electrician certificate holder. | — | — | not published |
| Missouri statewide electrical contractor license (optional) | Optional: meant to let a contractor hold one license recognized statewide instead of a license for each city or county. | — | — | not published |
Licensing sources: Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors: FAQs for electrical contractors (retrieved 2026-09-23) · City of Kansas City, MO: contractor licensing (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Kansas City, MO: master electrician certificate of qualification requirements (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (an optional license) and local authorities, Kansas City shown as the example 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 Missouri?
Missouri's statewide electrical contractor license is optional, and cities and counties set their own electrical contractor licensing: some require a local license and some do not. Kansas City, for example, requires the work of a licensed electrical contractor to be done by or under a master electrician certificate holder.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Missouri?
The published fee in the table above is $60. It is charged by Kansas City, 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 Missouri?
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 Missouri?
Electricians in Missouri earned a median $65,410 a year in May 2025, $31.45 an hour. That median is 4% above the national figure of $63,190, and Missouri ranks 25 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Missouri?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Missouri under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 856 apprentices started, at a median $17.42 an hour across the 855 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $35.00 an hour at completion (282 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Missouri
Electricians in Missouri earned a median $65,410 a year in May 2025, $31.45 an hour. 12,780 people held the job, 4.4 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 4% above the national figure of $63,190, and Missouri ranks 25 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Missouri
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.09 | $43,860 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $23.95 | $49,810 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $31.45 | $65,410 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $45.08 | $93,760 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $50.03 | $104,060 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $34.77 | $72,310 | 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 Missouri
St. Louis, MO-IL employs the most electricians of the 8 metro areas based in Missouri that BLS publishes, 5,920, at a median $77,170 a year. The best-paid is St. Joseph, MO-KS at $97,350.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 5,920 | $77,170 | $46,890 | $104,800 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 5,400 | $76,860 | $46,280 | $110,170 |
| Springfield, MO | 1,040 | $56,590 | $37,440 | $96,450 |
| Jefferson City, MO | 480 | $67,630 | $38,990 | $97,380 |
| Joplin, MO-KS | 430 | $67,720 | $36,810 | $96,890 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 350 | $97,350 | $47,560 | $116,850 |
| Columbia, MO | 290 | $61,500 | $39,520 | $88,940 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 150 | $59,720 | $44,550 | $99,400 |
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.
Missouri against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $67,600 | 22,730 |
| 23 | Kansas | $65,860 | 6,350 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $65,710 | 3,570 |
| 25 | Missouri | $65,410 | 12,780 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $64,810 | 4,290 |
| 27 | Ohio | $64,700 | 28,950 |
| 28 | Delaware | $63,700 | 2,260 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Missouri | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $65,410 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $31.45 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $43,860 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $104,060 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 12,780 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Missouri
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,636 registered apprentices active in Missouri 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, 856 apprentices started, at a median $17.42 an hour across the 855 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $35.00 an hour at completion (282 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 Missouri
Plumbers and pipefitters ($66,790) · HVAC technicians ($59,950) · Welders ($51,950) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($54,550) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($96,360) · Elevator installers ($126,750) · Ironworkers ($77,410) · Sheet metal workers ($63,560) · Carpenters ($60,840) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($72,370) · Auto service technicians ($49,160) · Diesel mechanics ($59,360) · Heavy equipment operators ($60,540) · Machinists ($58,710)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Missouri.
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.