Electrician salary in Santa Cruz, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Electricians in the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA area earn a median of $76,610 a year, or $36.83 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $126,560 a year. Statewide, electricians earn a median of $76,160; Santa Cruz is 1% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.22/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 330
- After cost of living
- $69,710
- Median hourly pay
- $36.83/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +21%
- vs California median
- +1%
Apprentice, journeyman and master electrician pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $48,290–$61,460$23.22–$29.55/hr | |
| Journeyman | $76,610$36.83/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $96,410–$126,560$46.35–$60.85/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Santa Cruz, CA compares
- Santa Cruz ranks 9th of 25 California metro areas for electrician pay.
- Electricians are less concentrated in the Santa Cruz area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.70 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $126,560, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,290: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Santa Cruz, CA
Questions
- How much do electricians make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- Electricians in the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA area earn a median of $76,610 a year, or $36.83 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $126,560 a year.
- How much do electricians make an hour in Santa Cruz, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $36.83. The middle half earn between $29.55 and $46.35 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice electricians make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.22 an hour ($48,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.55.
- How much does a journeyman electrician make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $76,610 a year ($36.83 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $96,410–$126,560.
- Do electricians make more in Santa Cruz or San Francisco?
- San Francisco pays more: the median is $76,610 in Santa Cruz and $92,830 in San Francisco, a 17% difference.
- How does Santa Cruz pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Santa Cruz median of $76,610 is 1% 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 42100 (Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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 (109.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures