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How to become an electrician in North Carolina
North Carolina licenses electrical contractors statewide in three classes: Limited (projects up to $60,000), Intermediate (up to $150,000) and Unlimited (any value). Each requires qualifying experience and a passing exam. Electricians in North Carolina earned a median $56,800 a year in May 2025 ($27.31 an hour).
Electrician licensing in North Carolina
The licensing authority is North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (NCBEEC). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited (L) | Single projects up to $60,000, rated 600 volts or less. At least 3,000 hours of experience, at least 2,000 of them primary, then a passing exam (100 questions, minimum 70). License fee $100/year; application and examination fee $125, paid to the Board. | — | NCBEEC Limited exam (100 questions, minimum 70) | $225 |
| Intermediate (I) | Single projects up to $150,000. At least 5,750 hours of experience, at least 5,000 of them primary, then the exam (100 questions, minimum 70). License fee $150/year; application and examination fee $125, paid to the Board. | — | NCBEEC Intermediate exam | $275 |
| Unlimited (U) | Any project value. At least 9,000 hours of experience, at least 8,000 of them primary, then the exam (100 questions, minimum 70). License fee $200/year; application and examination fee $125, paid to the Board. | — | NCBEEC Unlimited exam | $325 |
Reciprocity. NCBEEC may grant a same-classification license without exam to contractors from reciprocal states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Renewal. Annual (each license expires one year after issuance), with 8 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: NCBEEC Licensing (retrieved 2026-09-16) · NCBEEC Reciprocity (retrieved 2026-09-16) · NCBEEC Examinations (retrieved 2026-10-03) · NCBEEC Rules: Title 21 NCAC 18B (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (NCBEEC) 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 North Carolina?
North Carolina licenses electrical contractors statewide in three classes: Limited (projects up to $60,000), Intermediate (up to $150,000) and Unlimited (any value). Each requires qualifying experience and a passing exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in North Carolina?
The published fees in the table above run from $225 to $325 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 North Carolina?
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 North Carolina?
Electricians in North Carolina earned a median $56,800 a year in May 2025, $27.31 an hour. That median is 10% below the national figure of $63,190, and North Carolina ranks 49 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in North Carolina?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in North Carolina under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 82 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 82 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 12 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs. Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in North Carolina
Electricians in North Carolina earned a median $56,800 a year in May 2025, $27.31 an hour. 21,640 people held the job, 4.4 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 10% below the national figure of $63,190, and North Carolina ranks 49 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in North Carolina
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.29 | $40,130 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.63 | $47,070 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.31 | $56,800 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $29.77 | $61,920 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $36.09 | $75,060 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $27.33 | $56,850 | 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 North Carolina
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC employs the most electricians of the 15 metro areas based in North Carolina that BLS publishes, 5,250, at a median $59,080 a year. The best-paid is Durham-Chapel Hill, NC at $59,220.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 5,250 | $59,080 | $43,770 | $76,310 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 3,740 | $56,800 | $45,700 | $73,760 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 1,990 | $58,380 | $43,430 | $73,090 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 1,160 | $59,220 | $46,160 | $75,800 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 1,120 | $56,100 | $38,550 | $72,350 |
| Wilmington, NC | 910 | $54,080 | $37,680 | $75,550 |
| Asheville, NC | 860 | $54,590 | $41,190 | $76,870 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 680 | $57,690 | $40,090 | $83,370 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 570 | $53,730 | $39,480 | $75,570 |
| Greenville, NC | 480 | $54,930 | $44,840 | $64,210 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 340 | $58,710 | $39,480 | $79,150 |
| Burlington, NC | 230 | $51,400 | $37,500 | $72,350 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 210 | $45,650 | $39,610 | $60,150 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 160 | $51,230 | $38,890 | $75,770 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 150 | $48,470 | $36,740 | $76,900 |
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 North Carolina: Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
North Carolina against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | New Mexico | $58,390 | 5,020 |
| 47 | Georgia | $58,320 | 21,650 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,250 | 49,700 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $56,800 | 21,640 |
| 50 | Alabama | $55,690 | 10,900 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $49,070 | 7,500 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $56,800 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $27.31 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $40,130 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $75,060 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 21,640 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in North Carolina
U.S. Department of Labor records list 124 registered apprentices active in North Carolina 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, 82 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 82 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 12 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 North Carolina
Plumbers and pipefitters ($57,080) · HVAC technicians ($57,260) · Welders ($50,590) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($51,530) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($77,270) · Elevator installers ($107,700) · Ironworkers ($48,740) · Sheet metal workers ($50,730) · Carpenters ($49,100) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($49,940) · Auto service technicians ($48,200) · Diesel mechanics ($57,490) · Heavy equipment operators ($49,310) · Machinists ($55,230)
See all 15 ranked by pay in North Carolina.
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.