Electricians in the Rome area earn a median of $47,550 a year, 24% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #376 of 390 metros for electrician salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Dalton and Anniston, but less in Gadsden.
It's one of 14 Georgia metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide electrician pay.
Electrician pay in Rome at a glance
- Electricians in the Rome, GA metro earn a median $47,550 a year ($22.86 an hour), #376 of 390 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $31,940 and $79,400.
- After local prices, that median buys what $52,739 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $972 a month, 25% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among electricians in Rome.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $23 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for electricians here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.5%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+2.8% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 54 one-person electrical contracting businesses averaging $58,389 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Rome scorecard for electricians Our calculation
Grades compare Rome with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,440).
Pay over time
The median pay for electricians in the Rome area went from $44,480 in 2020 to $47,550 in 2025, up 6.9%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -14.7% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Rome Our calculation
Prices in Rome run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,739 would in a typical place, ranking #370 of 385 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Rome budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What electricians do
Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
- Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
- Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
- Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, electrician jobs are projected to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 72,700 openings a year. About 7% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often electricians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most electricians train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Rome ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Georgia Official source
The main state licensing office in Georgia is the Georgia Secretary of State (Professional Licensing). Construction Industry Licensing Board and Residential/General Contractors Board. It can point you to the right license for electricians.
Official Georgia licensing site ↗
Requirements for electricians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, electricians have 97 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, about the same as all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying GA metros for electricians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HinesvilleGEORGIA · GA | $63,840 | $67,963 | 40 |
| Warner RobinsGEORGIA · GA | $63,110 | $67,289 | 160 |
| AugustaGEORGIA · GA | $59,660 | $64,916 | 860 |
| BrunswickGEORGIA · GA | $58,880 | $67,132 | 140 |
| AtlantaGEORGIA · GA | $58,650 | $58,616 | 13,430 |
| SavannahGEORGIA · GA | $58,430 | $61,372 | 650 |
| GainesvilleGEORGIA · GA | $58,330 | $60,279 | 310 |
| DaltonGEORGIA · GA | $56,860 | $63,287 | 180 |
| AlbanyGEORGIA · GA | $56,160 | $64,059 | 300 |
| MaconGEORGIA · GA | $54,320 | $61,359 | 380 |
See every metro in Georgia.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Rome area's unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just electricians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Rome area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 15% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 80% drive alone, 0% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Rome area's population grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025 (98,597 → 101,378), ranking #179 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +3,691) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Rome
The Rome area has about 41,384 homes. 50% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 6% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $261,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Rome are up 62% from 2021 to 2025 (204 → 330).
In 2025 the Rome area approved permits for 330 new homes (330 single-family), or 3.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #204 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 54 one-person businesses (no employees) in electrical contracting, averaging $58,389 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Rome compares among the best cities to start an electrician business.
They compete with 21 electrical contracting companies that have employees (about 235 workers in total). 67% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
What new hires earn here
People newly hired into construction jobs in the Rome area earn about $45,800 a year at the start, compared with $60,900 for all construction workers who've stayed with their employer. By age, construction workers 19 to 24 average about $41,800 a year here, and those 45 to 54 about $71,200. That's for every construction job combined, not just electricians, but it shows how much experience is worth here.
Census Quarterly Workforce Indicators, construction (NAICS 23), private employers, 2024 Q4–2025 Q3. Monthly earnings × 12.
Pay on public projects
On federally funded building construction in Floyd County, the law (the Davis-Bacon Act) sets a minimum of $35.35 an hour plus $14.63 an hour in benefits (or as cash), $49.98 in all for electricians. That base rate is above the local median wage of $22.86. It comes from local union contracts.
U.S. Department of Labor wage determination GA20260306, 2026, via SAM.gov. Many states set their own prevailing wages for state and city projects.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Rome area has had 1 federal major disaster, fewer than most metros, mostly hurricanes. The latest was declared in 2017 (Hurricane Irma).
FEMA disaster declarations, counties in this metro, fiscal years 2016–2026. COVID-19 declarations are left out.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town electricians on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $113 a night for lodging plus $68 a day for meals, the standard federal rate (no local rate is set here): about $1,267 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Rome Government data
In an average year, Rome has 72 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 2 at 100°F or more, 64 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 81 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 90°F and winter nights 34°F. That matters for electricians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Rome R B Russell Airport, GA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Where to train near Rome Government data
1 school in or near Rome offers electrical and power line installer programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Northwestern Technical College Rome, GA · Public | Certificate | $14,804 | 28 | $47,842 |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $47,550 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get electrician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Rome with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for electriciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in RomeSee where it falls among local electricians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolRome budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Rome metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Rome against every other metro for electricians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.