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How to become an electrician in Washington
Washington requires an L&I electrician certificate to work in the electrical construction trade: you start as a trainee, and the general journey level (01) exam requires a completed 8,000-hour approved apprenticeship; a specialty such as residential (02) takes 4,000 hours. Electricians in Washington earned a median $95,220 a year in May 2025 ($45.78 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Washington
The licensing authority is Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Trainee (training certificate) | At least 16; work under a certified electrician on the same jobsite (in general, one trainee to one journey level electrician on journey-level work, two to one specialty electrician) and renew every two years after 48 hours of basic trainee classes. Fee $48.10 online or $56.00 by mail or in person. | — | — | $48.10 |
| Residential Specialty Electrician (02) | 4,000 hours of supervised experience in the specialty and 48 hours of basic classroom instruction, then pass the exam. Application fee $114.60, which includes the original certificate; the exam fee is set by the testing contractor. | 4,000 hrs (≈ 2 yrs) | Residential specialty (02) electrician exam (state testing contractor) | $114.60 |
| General Journey Level Electrician (01) | Complete an 8,000-hour electrical construction apprenticeship approved under chapter 49.04 RCW, with 4,000 hours of new commercial or industrial installations and no more than 4,000 in specialties (or an equivalent out-of-state apprenticeship or certificate), plus 96 hours of basic trainee classes, then pass the exam. The route without an apprenticeship closed on July 1, 2026. Application fee $114.60, which includes the original certificate; the exam fee is set by the testing contractor. | 8,000 hrs (≈ 4 yrs) | General journey level (01) electrician exam (state testing contractor) | $114.60 |
Reciprocity. Washington has a reciprocal agreement with Oregon for general journey level electricians who qualified through an 8,000-hour apprenticeship with at least 576 classroom hours and passed the other state's exam.
Renewal. Every three years, on your birthdate, with 24 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: L&I: Electrician certificates (retrieved 2026-09-23) · L&I: Electrical trainee (retrieved 2026-09-23) · WAC 296-46B-909 (electrical certificate fees) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · WAC 296-46B-945 (experience hours, Table 945-1) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · RCW 19.28.161 (electrician certificate required) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) 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 Washington?
Washington requires an L&I electrician certificate to work in the electrical construction trade: you start as a trainee, and the general journey level (01) exam requires a completed 8,000-hour approved apprenticeship; a specialty such as residential (02) takes 4,000 hours.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Washington?
The published fees in the table above run from $48.10 to $114.60 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 Washington?
You can be licensed as Residential Specialty Electrician after 4,000 hours of on-the-job training; higher tiers take longer. The time-to-journeyman calculator turns the hours into years at your own hours a week.
How much do electricians make in Washington?
Electricians in Washington earned a median $95,220 a year in May 2025, $45.78 an hour. That median is 51% above the national figure of $63,190, and Washington ranks 4 of 51 by pay for this trade.
What electricians earn in Washington
Electricians in Washington earned a median $95,220 a year in May 2025, $45.78 an hour. 19,380 people held the job, 5.5 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 51% above the national figure of $63,190, and Washington ranks 4 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Washington
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $25.08 | $52,170 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $32.04 | $66,630 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $45.78 | $95,220 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $58.43 | $121,530 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $64.40 | $133,950 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $45.42 | $94,470 | 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 Washington
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs the most electricians of the 11 metro areas based in Washington that BLS publishes, 9,750, at a median $101,780 a year. The best-paid is Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA at $104,510.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 9,750 | $101,780 | $55,690 | $151,290 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 1,290 | $79,830 | $47,310 | $122,610 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 1,100 | $80,990 | $59,850 | $104,960 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 1,050 | $99,850 | $48,260 | $125,380 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 740 | $104,510 | $55,590 | $156,620 |
| Bellingham, WA | 560 | $97,590 | $57,530 | $127,180 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 530 | $96,600 | $49,210 | $129,540 |
| Yakima, WA | 390 | $78,630 | $49,360 | $124,700 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 370 | $93,560 | $58,010 | $126,620 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | 300 | $96,860 | $56,670 | $126,100 |
| Walla Walla, WA | 100 | $82,910 | $47,790 | $122,400 |
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. Listed under another state but reaching into Washington: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA and Lewiston, ID-WA.
Washington against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $101,310 | 10,590 |
| 2 | Illinois | $99,560 | 23,120 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $96,460 | 3,070 |
| 4 | Washington | $95,220 | 19,380 |
| 5 | Alaska | $89,440 | 1,870 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $79,420 | 17,810 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $78,970 | 2,440 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $95,220 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $45.78 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $52,170 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $133,950 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 19,380 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Washington
U.S. Department of Labor records list 140 registered apprentices active in Washington 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, 46 apprentices started; 46 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 28 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Washington
Plumbers and pipefitters ($81,030) · HVAC technicians ($75,660) · Welders ($63,020) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($64,760) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($133,060) · Elevator installers ($137,180) · Ironworkers ($107,660) · Sheet metal workers ($98,550) · Carpenters ($74,190) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($83,190) · Auto service technicians ($57,270) · Diesel mechanics ($77,900) · Heavy equipment operators ($81,700) · Machinists ($66,160)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Washington.
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.