Electrician salary in San Francisco, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Electricians in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $92,830 a year, or $44.63 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $182,340. Across all of California, the median is $76,160, so San Francisco pays 22% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $26.62/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 9,060
- After cost of living
- $80,290
- Median hourly pay
- $44.63/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +47%
- vs California median
- +22%
Apprentice, journeyman and master electrician pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $55,360–$70,090$26.62–$33.70/hr | |
| Journeyman | $92,830$44.63/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $130,260–$182,340$62.63–$87.66/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How San Francisco, CA compares
- San Francisco has the highest electrician median of the 25 California metro areas with published pay.
- Electricians are less concentrated in the San Francisco area than nationally: 3.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $182,340, is 3.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $55,360: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in San Francisco, CA
Questions
- How much do electricians make in San Francisco, CA?
- Electricians in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $92,830 a year, or $44.63 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $182,340.
- How much do electricians make an hour in San Francisco, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $44.63. The middle half earn between $33.70 and $62.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice electricians make in San Francisco, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.62 an hour ($55,360 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $33.70.
- How much does a journeyman electrician make in San Francisco, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $92,830 a year ($44.63 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $130,260–$182,340.
- Do electricians make more in San Francisco or San Jose?
- San Francisco pays more: the median is $92,830 in San Francisco and $91,030 in San Jose, a 2% difference.
- How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?
- The San Francisco median of $92,830 is 22% more than the California median of $76,160.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2111 (Electricians), area code 41860 (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed electricians and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (115.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures