Statewide pay Government data
Electricians in Nebraska earn a statewide median of $60,820 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #42 of 50 states and DC. About 6,440 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Nebraska
See all states on the electricians nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes electrician pay for 3 Nebraska metros: Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| OmahaNEBRASKA · NE | $62,440 | $67,935 | 3,530 |
| LincolnNEBRASKA · NE | $60,680 | $66,258 | 1,020 |
| Grand IslandNEBRASKA · NE | $52,470 | $60,549 | 260 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Nebraska's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 72,700 openings a year. Typical training: apprenticeship.
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.
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 ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of electrician apprentices in Nebraska who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 58% completed (U.S.: 52%), about 77 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 67% completion rate, compared with 41% for non-union programs. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, electrical contractors in Nebraska filed 23 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 1 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (48% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only electricians.
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Where to train in Nebraska Government data
6 schools in Nebraska offer 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.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $66,735 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Community College Area Omaha, NE · Public | Associate degree | $11,632 | 80 | $77,958 |
| Central Community College Grand Island, NE · Public | Certificate | $13,851 | 66 | — |
| Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE · Public | Associate degree | $12,947 | 62 | $66,735 |
| Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE · Public | Certificate | $11,682 | 51 | — |
| Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE · Public | Associate degree | $11,682 | 39 | — |
| Metropolitan Community College Area Omaha, NE · Public | Certificate | $11,632 | 27 | — |
| Central Community College Grand Island, NE · Public | Associate degree | $13,851 | 15 | $47,488 |
| Western Nebraska Community College Scottsbluff, NE · Public | Certificate | $13,229 | 11 | — |
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.
Licensing in Nebraska Official source
The main state licensing office in Nebraska is the Nebraska Department of Labor. Contractors register with the state; electricians are licensed by the state Electrical Division. It can point you to the right license for electricians.
Official Nebraska licensing site ↗
Requirements for electricians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.6% of wage and salary workers in Nebraska were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#29 of 51 states and D.C.), and 8.5% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only electricians.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Nebraska
All trades in Nebraska.