Electrician salary in Reading, PA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Electricians in the Reading, PA area earn a median of $75,070 a year, or $36.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $129,830. That's 11% more than the Pennsylvania median of $67,600.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.08/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 820
- After cost of living
- $77,340
- Median hourly pay
- $36.09/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +19%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- +11%
Apprentice, journeyman and master electrician pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $45,930–$57,810$22.08–$27.79/hr | |
| Journeyman | $75,070$36.09/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $93,190–$129,830$44.80–$62.42/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Reading, PA compares
- Reading has the highest electrician median of the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas with published pay.
- Electricians hold about the same share of jobs in the Reading area as nationally: 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $129,830, is 2.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,930: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Reading, PA
Questions
- How much do electricians make in Reading, PA?
- Electricians in the Reading, PA area earn a median of $75,070 a year, or $36.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $129,830.
- How much do electricians make an hour in Reading, PA?
- The median hourly wage is $36.09. The middle half earn between $27.79 and $44.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice electricians make in Reading, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.08 an hour ($45,930 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.79.
- How much does a journeyman electrician make in Reading, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $75,070 a year ($36.09 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $93,190–$129,830.
- Do electricians make more in Reading or Philadelphia?
- Reading pays more: the median is $75,070 in Reading and $74,590 in Philadelphia, a 1% difference.
- How does Reading pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
- The Reading median of $75,070 is 11% more than the Pennsylvania median of $67,600.
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 39740 (Reading, PA). 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 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures