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Job outlook for electrical technicians in the United States
Electrical technician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected electrical technician job growth rate is 0% from 2018-2028.
About -400 new jobs for electrical technicians are projected over the next decade.
Electrical technician salaries have increased 9% for electrical technicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 23,141 electrical technicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 127,792 active electrical technician job openings in the US.
The average electrical technician salary is $55,215.
Are electrical technician jobs in demand?
Electrical technician job and salary trends over time
Electrical technician jobs over time
Electrical technician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23,141 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 24,453 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 25,840 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 25,681 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 25,366 | 0.01% |
Average electrical technician salary over time
Electrical technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $55,215 | $26.55 | +3.5% |
| 2025 | $53,343 | $25.65 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | $52,583 | $25.28 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $52,035 | $25.02 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $50,834 | $24.44 | +1.7% |
Electrical technician jobs by state
Most common states for electrical technicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 1,203 | 38% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 258 | 37% |
| 3 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 549 | 29% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,758 | 26% |
| 5 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 345 | 26% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 344 | 26% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,407 | 25% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,348 | 24% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 229 | 24% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 148 | 24% |
| 11 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,299 | 22% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,890 | 22% |
| 13 | Alaska | 739,795 | 166 | 22% |
| 14 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,113 | 21% |
| 15 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,289 | 21% |
| 16 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,254 | 21% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 642 | 21% |
| 18 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 155 | 21% |
| 19 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,321 | 20% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 590 | 20% |
Most common cities for electrical technicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Dodge | 2 | 8% | $40,885 |
| 2 | Walker | 2 | 8% | $51,012 |
| 3 | Franklin Town | 2 | 6% | $58,038 |
| 4 | Richmond | 2 | 6% | $46,094 |
| 5 | Pueblo | 3 | 3% | $55,647 |
| 6 | Orlando | 5 | 2% | $49,319 |
| 7 | Wichita | 3 | 1% | $54,469 |
| 8 | Anchorage | 2 | 1% | $30,927 |
| 9 | Riverside | 2 | 1% | $63,758 |
| 10 | San Diego | 6 | 0% | $63,588 |
| 11 | Jacksonville | 4 | 0% | $49,363 |
Electrical Technician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of electrical technician experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Michigan Technological University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
San Diego State University
Old Dominion University
Michigan Technological University
University of Mississippi
Kennesaw State University
University of Louisville
What general advice would you give to an Electrical Technician?
Craig Johnson Ph.D., P.E.: To begin your career in our field, please know that there are some shared values, some behavior constraints, and some awesome possible career paths for you to explore! Our program is accredited through ABET, which means that you can acquire your Professional Engineering licensure. Along with licensure are ethics compliance and legal behavior. You must put safety as a first constraint in all work. Create great technical solutions to real problems that may affect us all. Politics and company policies evolve, and we must evolve with them. New finance realities dictate that you will be more active in both seeking new jobs and changing jobs to promote your careers. You are at the center of many crossroads of technical activity that present options for your path forward.
What general advice would you give to an Electrical Technician?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: Make sure electrical engineering is something that YOU want to do and not something you are doing for someone else (a friend, a relative, etc.). I’ve had students who were pursuing an EE degree just to make their parents (or uncle, or whomever) proud, and weren’t really interested in what they are studying. If you do not have the passion to be an engineer, then do something else. In addition to passion, engineering requires a lot of math, reason, and logic. If you are easily frustrated, struggle with mathematics, and are inclined to give up, then don’t waste your time. Find a more suitable way to live your life. If you live your life by disregarding your own interests while trying to gain the approval of someone else, you will wind up being miserable.
What Electrical Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.
What Electrical Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.
What general advice would you give to an Electrical Technician?
John Irwin EdD: Engineering technology graduates are masters of technology, gaining a broad and deep understanding of the processes, systems, tools, and techniques necessary to construct, modify, operate, and maintain an engineering design. They act as technological integrators, bridging the gap between the skilled trades and engineering fundamentals. This is a great career path for those who enjoy engineering concepts but would rather spend time working with their hands solving specific technical issues than tackling broader, more complex design challenges.
What will help Electrical Technicians increase their earning potential?
John Irwin EdD: Engineering technology graduates develop, design, and implement engineering and technology solutions, typically pursuing engineering careers in design, construction, and product improvement. They work both in an office setting with design and simulation software as well as on the production/onsite setting troubleshooting issues for continuous improvements.
What general advice would you give to an Electrical Technician?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering combines a dozen sub-fields such as power systems, telecommunications, embedded systems, machine learning/AI, hardware design, signal analysis, IoT, etc., and jobs in these different subfields could look completely different. Some involve office work with the computer designing algorithms or optimizing processes, others might involve inspecting power transmission lines with drones in the middle of the forest. Some jobs include testing airplane engines and others designing microchips and working in clean rooms.
What Electrical Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.
What will help Electrical Technicians increase their earning potential?
Arie Nakhmani: People who have EE degrees like being able to choose from a variety of EE sub-fields and being able to enter new areas because they learn science fundamentals and math, critical thinking, and the ability to solve difficult problems that are very helpful in life regardless of the job they pick. People dislike that solving difficult problems is difficult and requires a lot of effort. Not all are ready to put their effort in.
What Electrical Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineering graduates are sought by a wide range of employers in government and industry for many different types of work. The top occupations in electrical engineering fields are projected to grow and sometimes require an advanced degree.
What will help Electrical Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Technicians?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.
Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.
A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Technicians?
Joshua Pearce Ph.D: I think the virtualization of work and automation, in general, has been accelerated by the pandemic. This means that the competition for what most of us consider 'normal' jobs will become fiercer, and the skills a graduate needs to get those jobs are becoming more sophisticated. Graduates need to work at home, and a lot of it relies on the advanced use of computing (think AI, CV, etc., not merely staring at a screen for entertainment).
This also means graduates are competing against a global workforce - hungry people willing to work hard. Overall, we have also seen a massive shift in wealth in the last year, the undereducated are now in real trouble, and the hyper-educated and wealthy are better off than ever before. Graduates will want to make sure they stay in the latter group, bolstering their education and picking up advanced skills. This does not have to be a chore - one of the best ways to do this is to dive into an open-source project and maybe save/make a little money along the way.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Electrical Technicians to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ramanarayanan "Vish" Viswanathan Ph.D.: In general, the whole of the United States has a variety of jobs for graduating electrical engineers. Some of our graduates have landed jobs with companies in the Western part of the US, and many have obtained jobs in companies in and around Mississippi, including those in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Michigan, to name a few.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Technicians?
Hai Ho Ph.D.: I believe the impact is short term, and once vaccines are effective and available, our graduates will have expected graduation and access to a responsive job market.
Cindy Harnett Ph.D.
Assoc Professor, Electrical & Computer EngUniversity of Louisville
J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Technicians?
Cindy Harnett Ph.D.: I had an EE student who was an essential worker because he worked part-time at the power company. The power systems field is going to stay in demand. He had multiple jobs to choose from at graduation.
We also do a lot of device simulations and draw up circuit layouts in software. That's great for remote work, something students are likely to be thinking about now.
For students who are more hardware-oriented, prospects for remote work are still pretty good, thanks to miniaturization and low cost of setting up a workbench. My embedded systems students were able to carry on with remote coursework by taking small circuit boards home.
In 2020 when we can't go into the office, EEs can still be productive working from home.
We do seek grad students to work in research labs and we'll pay their tuition, salary, and health insurance.
Going to grad school means doing cutting-edge research and writing papers. It's exciting but it also means looking for a job in a few years.
It's too soon for me to spot a 2020 trend yet, but in recent years they've largely gone with their co-op employers right out of the master's degree program.