Home › Trades › Electricians › Ohio
How to become an electrician in Ohio
Ohio licenses electrical contractors for commercial work at the state level through the OCILB; the pages read do not say whether an individual electrician needs a license. Electricians in Ohio earned a median $64,700 a year in May 2025 ($31.11 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Ohio
The licensing authority is Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician (local, not state-issued) | Ohio's board issues contractor licenses, also called master licenses, and state law leaves cities free to regulate electrical work. An active journeyman card counts toward the state contractor license. | — | — | not published |
| Electrical Contractor (state, commercial, OCILB) | At least 18; five years as a tradesperson in the electrical trade immediately before applying, or registration as an Ohio engineer with three years of business experience in the trade's construction industry, or other experience the board's specialty section accepts; pass both sections of the OCILB licensing exam (given by PSI); carry at least $500,000 liability insurance. Application fee $25, and $25 for the license once both exam sections are passed. | — | OCILB electrical exam (trade + business and law, PSI) | $50 |
Reciprocity. Reciprocity without exam is possible only where Ohio has a written agreement with a state whose requirements it finds substantially equal; the specific states are not named in statute.
Renewal. Annual, with 10 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Ohio Revised Code 4740.06 (license qualifications) (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Ohio OCILB: examination application (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Division of Industrial Compliance) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Ohio Revised Code 4740.12 (local registration and regulation) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce 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 Ohio?
Ohio licenses electrical contractors for commercial work at the state level through the OCILB; the pages read do not say whether an individual electrician needs a license.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Ohio?
The published fee in the table above is $50. 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 Ohio?
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 Ohio?
Electricians in Ohio earned a median $64,700 a year in May 2025, $31.11 an hour. That median is 2% above the national figure of $63,190, and Ohio ranks 27 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Ohio?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Ohio under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 1,742 apprentices started, at a median $15.26 an hour across the 1,733 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $30.88 an hour at completion (784 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Ohio
Electricians in Ohio earned a median $64,700 a year in May 2025, $31.11 an hour. 28,950 people held the job, 5.2 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 2% above the national figure of $63,190, and Ohio ranks 27 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Ohio
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.59 | $40,750 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $24.10 | $50,120 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $31.11 | $64,700 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $38.70 | $80,500 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $47.73 | $99,280 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $33.09 | $68,840 | 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 Ohio
Columbus, OH employs the most electricians of the 12 metro areas based in Ohio that BLS publishes, 7,210, at a median $64,700 a year. The best-paid is Akron, OH at $77,360.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | 7,210 | $64,700 | $46,090 | $94,410 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 5,640 | $63,490 | $38,530 | $98,260 |
| Cleveland, OH | 4,420 | $70,860 | $41,090 | $100,330 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 1,920 | $61,870 | $38,920 | $98,230 |
| Toledo, OH | 1,660 | $74,710 | $46,080 | $102,000 |
| Akron, OH | 1,360 | $77,360 | $46,360 | $123,170 |
| Youngstown-Warren, OH | 830 | $59,570 | $36,570 | $90,300 |
| Canton-Massillon, OH | 640 | $61,320 | $37,650 | $80,560 |
| Sandusky, OH | 260 | $64,060 | $42,210 | $102,680 |
| Lima, OH | 250 | $75,600 | $39,480 | $95,400 |
| Mansfield, OH | 150 | $59,720 | $39,780 | $78,620 |
| Springfield, OH | 130 | $58,370 | $42,330 | $82,520 |
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 Ohio: Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Wheeling, WV-OH and Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH.
Ohio against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 29 | Vermont | $63,430 | 1,270 |
| 30 | Idaho | $63,000 | 5,690 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Ohio | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $64,700 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $31.11 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $40,750 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $99,280 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 28,950 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Ohio
U.S. Department of Labor records list 4,968 registered apprentices active in Ohio 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, 1,742 apprentices started, at a median $15.26 an hour across the 1,733 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $30.88 an hour at completion (784 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 Ohio
Plumbers and pipefitters ($63,330) · HVAC technicians ($62,510) · Welders ($50,340) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($59,800) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($93,150) · Elevator installers ($105,020) · Ironworkers ($74,710) · Sheet metal workers ($74,790) · Carpenters ($60,810) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($70,950) · Auto service technicians ($48,710) · Diesel mechanics ($60,470) · Heavy equipment operators ($64,940) · Machinists ($57,940)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Ohio.
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.