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How to become an electrician in New Jersey
New Jersey's Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors licenses electrical contractors and three classes of individual electricians: Class A electrical apprentice, Class B wireman and Class A journeyman electrician. Electricians in New Jersey earned a median $77,250 a year in May 2025 ($37.14 an hour).
Electrician licensing in New Jersey
The licensing authority is New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A Electrical Apprentice | Enrolled and in good standing in a four-year US Department of Labor-approved electrical apprenticeship, working under a licensed electrical contractor or Class A journeyman. The $100 application fee applies to every license; the initial license fee is $150, $100 or $50 depending on the year of the three-year cycle. | — | — | $100 |
| Class B Wireman | The license for anyone employed to do electrical work who is not an electrical contractor, Class A journeyman or Class A apprentice, so an alternative to the apprentice license. Needs proof of employment by an electrical contractor and works under a licensed contractor or Class A journeyman. The $100 application fee applies; the initial license fee is $75, $50 or $25 depending on the year of the three-year cycle. | — | — | $100 |
| Class A Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 hours of practical experience with tools on work done to the National Electrical Code plus at least 576 classroom hours of related instruction, with at least 4,000 of the hours in the five years before applying (a current electrical contractor license also qualifies). The $100 application fee applies; the initial license fee is $150, $100 or $50 depending on the year of the three-year cycle. | 8,000 hrs (≈ 4 yrs) | — | $100 |
| Electrical Contractor | Over the age of 21 with a high-school diploma or equivalency certificate; five years in the trade immediately before applying, made up of a completed four-year US Department of Labor apprenticeship and then at least one year (2,000 hours) as a journeyman; pass the three-part exam. The $100 application fee applies; the initial license fee is $225, $150 or $75 depending on the year of the three-year cycle, and the business needs its own permit. | — | Three-part exam: electrical contractor, business and law, alarm systems (third-party vendor) | $100 |
Reciprocity. New Jersey has no electrical licensing reciprocity with any other state.
Renewal. Every three years; electrical contractors complete 34 hours of continuing education and Class A journeymen and Class B wiremen 15 hours.
Licensing sources: NJ Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors: FAQ (retrieved 2026-09-23) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 (fee schedule) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1 (electrical contractor applicants) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 (electrical contractor experience) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.4 (electrical contractor license renewal) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-5.1 (Class A journeyman electrician) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-5.2 (Class A journeyman electrician license renewal) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-6.1 (Class B wireman) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-6.2 (Class B wireman license renewal) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-7.1 (Class A electrical apprentice) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-7.2 (Class A electrical apprentice license renewal) (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey's Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors licenses electrical contractors and three classes of individual electricians: Class A electrical apprentice, Class B wireman and Class A journeyman electrician.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in New Jersey?
Each of the 4 published fees in the table above is $100, one for each step that lists it. 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 New Jersey?
You can be licensed as Class A Journeyman Electrician after 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. The time-to-journeyman calculator turns the hours into years at your own hours a week.
How much do electricians make in New Jersey?
Electricians in New Jersey earned a median $77,250 a year in May 2025, $37.14 an hour. That median is 22% above the national figure of $63,190, and New Jersey ranks 11 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in New Jersey?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in New Jersey under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 681 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 681 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $51.56 an hour at completion (263 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in New Jersey
Electricians in New Jersey earned a median $77,250 a year in May 2025, $37.14 an hour. 13,520 people held the job, 3.2 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 22% above the national figure of $63,190, and New Jersey ranks 11 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in New Jersey
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.35 | $48,570 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $30.00 | $62,400 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $37.14 | $77,250 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $58.23 | $121,110 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $62.91 | $130,860 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $41.68 | $86,700 | 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 New Jersey
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ employs the most electricians of the 3 metro areas based in New Jersey that BLS publishes, 710, at a median $65,710 a year. The best-paid is Trenton-Princeton, NJ at $98,210.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 710 | $65,710 | $46,980 | $121,990 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 600 | $98,210 | $48,520 | $125,680 |
| Vineland, NJ | 190 | $76,920 | $47,900 | $125,130 |
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 New Jersey: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ.
New Jersey against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $76,540 | 14,310 |
| 14 | Michigan | $76,270 | 23,530 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $77,250 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $37.14 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $48,570 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $130,860 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 13,520 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in New Jersey
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,764 registered apprentices active in New Jersey 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, 681 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 681 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $51.56 an hour at completion (263 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 New Jersey
Plumbers and pipefitters ($78,240) · HVAC technicians ($74,450) · Welders ($59,440) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($63,570) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($121,580) · Elevator installers ($137,920) · Ironworkers ($113,220) · Sheet metal workers ($92,840) · Carpenters ($64,010) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($77,010) · Auto service technicians ($56,610) · Diesel mechanics ($72,340) · Heavy equipment operators ($89,660) · Machinists ($63,190)
See all 15 ranked by pay in New Jersey.
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.