Statewide pay Government data
Electricians in West Virginia earn a statewide median of $64,810 a year, 4% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #26 of 50 states and DC. About 4,290 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near West Virginia
See all states on the electricians nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes electrician pay for 7 West Virginia metros. The highest-paying is Weirton at $68,810, followed by Wheeling and Charleston.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| WeirtonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $68,810 | $77,294 | 260 |
| WheelingWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $66,970 | $75,824 | 350 |
| CharlestonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $64,830 | $73,075 | 480 |
| HuntingtonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $63,620 | $71,950 | 870 |
| BeckleyWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $63,060 | $71,360 | 380 |
| MorgantownWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $61,610 | $66,018 | 320 |
| ParkersburgWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $59,550 | $68,396 | 140 |
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 West Virginia'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 West Virginia who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 81% completed (U.S.: 52%), about 47 graduates a year. The typical program runs 10,000 hours, about 5 years of full-time work. 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 West Virginia filed 13 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 2 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (62% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only electricians. OSHA also opened 3 fatality investigations at electrical contractors in West Virginia over the same years (federal and state programs).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in West Virginia Government data
11 schools in West Virginia 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.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rumsey Technical Institute Martinsburg, WV · Public | Certificate | $19,912 | 28 | — |
| Cabell County Career Technology Center Huntington, WV · Public | Certificate | $9,129 | 23 | — |
| Fayette Institute of Technology Oak Hill, WV · Public | Certificate | $10,478 | 16 | — |
| Fred W Eberle Technical Center Buckhannon, WV · Public | Certificate | $5,397 | 14 | — |
| New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV · Public | Certificate | $11,796 | 13 | — |
| Carver Career Center Charleston, WV · Public | Certificate | $10,042 | 12 | — |
| Mercer County Technical Education Center Princeton, WV · Public | Certificate | $13,611 | 10 | — |
| Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Martinsburg, WV · Public | Associate degree | $13,582 | 1 | — |
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 West Virginia Official source
The main state licensing office in West Virginia is the West Virginia Division of Labor. It can point you to the right license for electricians.
Official West Virginia licensing site ↗
Requirements for electricians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 8.5% of wage and salary workers in West Virginia were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#26 of 51 states and D.C.), and 9.1% 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 West Virginia
All trades in West Virginia.