Electricians in the Tulsa area earn a median of $62,280 a year, 0% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #199 of 390 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Joplin and Wichita, but less in Enid.
It's one of 4 Oklahoma metros with published pay for this trade; see electrician pay in Oklahoma.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for electricians here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and also about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.3%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 486 one-person electrical contracting businesses averaging $57,126 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $77/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Tulsa scorecard for electricians Our calculation
Grades compare Tulsa 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 Tulsa area went from $47,470 in 2020 to $62,280 in 2025, up 31.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +4.6% — a real raise.
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 Tulsa Our calculation
Prices in the Tulsa area run 11% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $69,810 would in a typical place, ranking #158 of 385 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Tulsa ↗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 Oklahoma Official source
The main state licensing office in Oklahoma is the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board. It can point you to the right license for electricians.
Official Oklahoma 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 OK metros for electricians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| TulsaOKLAHOMA · OK | $62,280 | $69,810 | 2,750 |
| Oklahoma CityOKLAHOMA · OK | $61,010 | $67,483 | 3,100 |
| EnidOKLAHOMA · OK | $58,970 | $69,978 | 160 |
| LawtonOKLAHOMA · OK | $56,500 | $65,743 | 190 |
See every metro in Oklahoma.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Tulsa area's unemployment rate was 3.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just electricians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Tulsa area is 23 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 0% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Tulsa area's population grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025 (1,017,349 → 1,069,273), ranking #96 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +48,511) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Tulsa
The Tulsa area has about 455,766 homes. 47% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 15% were built in 2010 or later. 65% of households own their home, and the median home value is $247,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Tulsa are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (4,920 → 5,154).
In 2025 the Tulsa area approved permits for 5,154 new homes (3,740 single-family), or 5.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #136 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 486 one-person businesses (no employees) in electrical contracting, averaging $57,126 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Tulsa compares among the best cities to start an electrician business.
They compete with 293 electrical contracting companies that have employees (about 3,371 workers in total). 55% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Tulsa Government data
In an average year, Tulsa has 74 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 11 at 100°F or more, 72 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 60 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 9 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 30°F. That matters for electricians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Tulsa International Airport, OK station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Where to train near Tulsa Government data
4 schools in or near Tulsa offer electrical and power line installer programs below the bachelor's level, 2 of them at public colleges. 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 $37,688 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa Welding School-Tulsa Tulsa, OK · Private for-profit | Certificate | $35,292 | 107 | $35,958 |
| Central Technology Center Drumright, OK · Public | Certificate | $5,580 | 39 | — |
| Tulsa Technology Center Tulsa, OK · Public | Certificate | $12,305 | 38 | $37,688 |
| Community Care College Tulsa, OK · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $31,670 | — | $45,984 |
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 $62,280 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. 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 Tulsa with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.