Electrician cost
An electrician charges $80 to $180 an hour, most commonly $110, plus a call-out fee of $100 to $250. Small jobs feel expensive because most of the bill is the visit rather than the work.
National average
$110
per hour
On this page
- What you will be charged
- Where the money goes
- What common jobs cost
- Flat rate against hourly
- Reading an electrical quote
- Cutting the bill honestly
- Go deeper
- Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a licensed electrician?
- Why is a permit worth paying for?
- How do I know the price is fair?
- Is an electrician cheaper at certain times?
- What counts as an actual electrical emergency?
An electrician charges $80 to $180 an hour, most commonly around $110, plus a call-out fee of $100 to $250 for the visit. In high-cost metros the hourly rate reaches $200.
Small electrical jobs feel expensive because most of the bill is the visit, not the work. Adding one outlet costs $230 and takes forty minutes, and that is not a markup: it is a licensed tradesperson driving to your house, pulling a permit where one is needed, and carrying the liability for work that can burn a building down.
What you will be charged
| Typical range | Typical | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly, business hours | $80 to $180 | $110 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $100 to $250 | $150 |
| Apprentice or helper hourly | $45 to $75 | $60 |
| Journeyman hourly | $80 to $130 | $105 |
| Master electrician hourly | $110 to $180 | $140 |
| Emergency or after hours | 1.5 to 2 times standard |
Rural southern states sit near $55 to $75 an hour. New York, San Francisco and Honolulu run $120 to $200.
Where the money goes
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the mean wage for electricians at about $33 an hour. You are billed three to four times that, and almost none of the difference is profit.
A billed hour carries payroll tax and workers' compensation, a licensed and bonded business, general liability insurance at rates that reflect the consequences of bad electrical work, a stocked van, continuing education for code updates, the office that books you, and the unbilled hours between jobs. What remains is usually 10% to 20%.
The practical consequence is that the hourly rate is close to fixed and the scope is not. Bundling work into one visit is the only real lever most homeowners have.
What common jobs cost
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Add or replace an outlet | $140 to $350 |
| Add a GFCI outlet | $200 to $400 |
| Replace a light switch | $120 to $250 |
| Install a ceiling fan where wiring exists | $150 to $400 |
| Install a ceiling fan where it does not | $400 to $900 |
| Recessed downlight, retrofit | $100 to $300 each |
| Add a dedicated 240 volt circuit | $400 to $1,200 |
| Level 2 EV charger | $500 to $2,500 |
| Panel replacement, same amperage | $1,300 to $4,000 |
| Panel upgrade, 100 to 200 amps | $1,500 to $6,000 |
| Whole-house rewire | $6 to $17 per square foot |
| Standby generator, installed | $7,000 to $20,000 |
Flat rate against hourly
Most residential electrical firms quote flat rates from a price book. The technician looks up "install GFCI outlet" and gives you a number before starting.
That is better for you on anything unpredictable and worse on something genuinely trivial, because the book price assumes an average job. Time and materials is the reverse. Neither is a warning sign; a firm that will not tell you which model they use is.
Reading an electrical quote
A complete quote names the work circuit by circuit, states whether a permit is included and who pulls it, and separates materials from labour.
Two things to insist on. The permit, for anything beyond replacing a device on an existing circuit. Unpermitted electrical work is a routine finding at sale, it can complicate an insurance claim after a fire, and it is expensive to legalise retroactively. The licence number, which you can check with your state board in a couple of minutes.
Two things to be wary of. A quote given over the phone for work nobody has seen, which will be revised. And an electrician who finds a much larger problem during a small job and cannot show it to you. Ask to be walked to the panel and shown.
Cutting the bill honestly
Bundle everything. You pay the call-out once. Write a list over a few months and do it all in one visit. This is worth more than any other advice here.
Do the access yourself. Empty the cupboard, move the furniture, clear the attic hatch. That is billable time you are handing back to yourself.
Buy your own fixtures. For light fittings, ceiling fans and anything decorative, supplying your own is normal and saves the markup. Leave breakers, wire and anything inside the panel to the electrician.
Do not do it yourself inside the panel. Almost everything else in this article has a reasonable DIY version. Work inside a live panel does not, and the failure mode is not a leak.
Go deeper
Rates and emergencies
- Electrician cost by state, built from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data
- Emergency electrician cost, and what genuinely cannot wait until morning
The panel and the service
- Electrical panel upgrade cost, and when you actually need one
- Subpanel installation cost, and the four-wire rule
- Whole house surge protector cost
- Electrical inspection cost, the best money before buying an older house
Old wiring
- House rewiring cost for knob and tube and aluminium wiring
- Knob and tube wiring replacement cost
- Aluminum wiring repair cost, and why it fails at connections
- Ungrounded outlet fix cost, and the one thing not to do
- How long does electrical wiring last
Devices and lighting
- Electrical outlet installation cost
- Light switch installation cost, and why the wrong dimmer buzzes
- Recessed lighting cost per downlight
- Under cabinet lighting cost
- Chandelier installation cost
- Ceiling fan installation cost, and why the box is the safety question
- Outdoor lighting installation cost
Big loads
- EV charger installation cost, and what changed with the federal credit
- Hot tub electrical hookup cost
- Solar panel cost, and why to do the roof first
Backup power
- Whole house generator cost
- Portable generator hookup cost, and why backfeeding kills people
Safety
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licensed electrician?
For anything beyond replacing a light fixture or a device on an existing circuit, yes, and in most jurisdictions it is a legal requirement rather than a preference. Homeowner permits exist in some places for work on your own residence; check before assuming.
Why is a permit worth paying for?
Because it buys an independent inspection of work you cannot see once the wall is closed. It also protects you at sale and in an insurance claim. A permit is typically $100 to $500 and it is the cheapest quality control available.
How do I know the price is fair?
Get the job described specifically, compare it against the table above, and get a second quote on anything over about $1,000. Electrical quotes vary less than plumbing or HVAC because the work is more standardised.
Is an electrician cheaper at certain times?
Marginally. Weekday mornings book most easily. The real saving is avoiding emergency rates, which run 1.5 to 2 times standard.
What counts as an actual electrical emergency?
A burning smell, a warm or discoloured outlet, sparking, a breaker that trips immediately every time it is reset, or any water contact with wiring. Turn off the circuit and call. A light that will not work is not an emergency.