How to hire a residential electrician

Residential electrician hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring residential electricians in the United States:

There are a total of 202,726 residential electricians in the US, and there are currently 22,406 job openings in this field.
The median cost to hire a residential electrician is $1,633.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per residential electrician on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Jacksonville, FL, has the highest demand for residential electricians, with 7 job openings.

How to hire a residential electrician, step by step

To hire a residential electrician, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a residential electrician:

Here's a step-by-step residential electrician hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a residential electrician job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new residential electrician
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a residential electrician do?

Residential Electricians are skilled tradespersons responsible for inspecting, repairing, installing, and maintaining wiring and electrical systems in residential buildings. Their duties include interpreting blueprints and technical drawings, examining electrical components, diagnosing electrical systems and wiring problems as well as installing new wiring and electrical components. Besides that, they also ensure that electrical systems are installed to adhere to local and national directives. They must know about utilizing devices to detect electrical problems. Residential electricians assist in training workers in inspection, repairing, and installation work.

Learn more about the specifics of what a residential electrician does

Post a residential electrician job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your residential electrician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a residential electrician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

Hiring the perfect residential electrician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

This list presents residential electrician salaries for various positions.

Type of Residential Electrician	Description	Hourly rate
Residential Electrician	Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories.	$19-43
Plumber	Plumbers specialize in assembling, detecting issues, maintaining, and repairing pipes and systems that can either involve water or gas distribution in a home or establishment, ensuring that they function efficiently. Additionally, Plumbers can also install various materials such as kitchen or bathroom sinks, toilets, appliances, and more... Show more	$17-40
Journeyman Plumber	A journeyman plumber is responsible for conducting basic plumbing tasks, such as installing and repairing plumbing lines under the supervision of a head plumber. Journeyman plumbers connect pipes and ensure the stability of plumbing lines to avoid potential hazards and possible defects... Show more	$17-38

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Work Ethic
- Hand Tools
- Electrical Equipment
- Ladders
- Circuit Breakers
- Switches
- Light Fixtures
- Electrical Conduit
- Breaker Panels
- NEC
- Electrical Circuits
- EMT
- Electrical Services
- Electrical Components
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
- Install all electrical components according to the NEC and local codes.
- Experience working with Romex, ENT, MC, and EMT.
- Used electrical troubleshooting skills to solve technical discrepancies in residential and commercial properties, including HVAC systems.
- Finish all electrical trim for both the interior and exterior circuitry such as light fixtures, outlets, switches and appliances.
- Plan and follow blueprint layout and installation of residential wiring per NEC codes.
More residential electrician duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your residential electrician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A residential electrician salary can vary based on several factors:

Location. For example, residential electricians' average salary in mississippi is 56% less than in washington.
Seniority. Entry-level residential electricians earn 56% less than senior-level residential electricians.
Certifications. A residential electrician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a residential electrician's salary.

Average residential electrician salary

$60,514yearly

$29.09 hourly rate

Entry-level residential electrician salary

$40,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average residential electrician salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington	$85,084	$41
2	California	$83,609	$40
3	Oregon	$74,721	$36
4	Maryland	$70,910	$34
5	Virginia	$68,422	$33
6	Wisconsin	$66,663	$32
7	Missouri	$60,159	$29
8	Kansas	$59,929	$29
9	Indiana	$58,206	$28
10	Georgia	$57,804	$28
11	New Mexico	$53,255	$26
12	Arizona	$53,232	$26
13	Texas	$52,313	$25
14	Ohio	$49,923	$24
15	North Carolina	$46,791	$23
16	Florida	$43,493	$21
17	Alabama	$43,175	$21
18	South Carolina	$40,553	$20

Average residential electrician salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Constellation Energy Partners	$101,460	$48.78	1
2	HomePro	$74,087	$35.62
3	American Residential Services	$66,349	$31.90	19
4	ABT Holdings	$66,146	$31.80	1
5	Arrow Electric	$65,702	$31.59	9
6	Electrical Services Co	$62,611	$30.10	15
7	SunPower	$61,923	$29.77	10
8	Gaylor Electric	$61,858	$29.74	49
9	Helix Electric	$61,507	$29.57	30
10	Southern Energy Homes Inc	$60,972	$29.31	1
11	Dominion Energy	$59,427	$28.57	2
12	Champion Homes	$59,400	$28.56
13	Safari	$58,978	$28.35	1
14	F.H. Furr	$58,616	$28.18	2
15	Blue Raven Solar	$57,992	$27.88
16	Namaste Solar	$57,351	$27.57
17	Triple-S	$56,690	$27.25
18	IES	$56,669	$27.24	1
19	Integrated Services	$56,632	$27.23	30
20	Raynor Foods	$56,373	$27.10

Writing a residential electrician job description
A good residential electrician job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a residential electrician job description:
Residential electrician job description example
$4000 SIGN ON BONUS!!

Summary of the position:

The Residential Service Electrician provides leadership and general supervision of work involved in the construction, maintenance, and/or repair of residential and light commercial electrical construction projects. The Residential Service Electrician shall be responsible for the profitable completion of assigned tasks and/or projects by determining and applying proper operational procedures, and through the planning, management, and coordination of labor, material and/or equipment.

Company Vehicle provided as well as all Specialty Tools.

Starting Pay: $28+/hour depending on experience with yearly wage increase available plus excellent medical, dental and vision insurance, Life Insurance, 401K, Profit Sharing, Discretionary Bonuses, Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays and much more.

Required:
- Maintain an Iowa State Electrical Class A Journeyman License
- Maintain Vehicle Driver's License
- Demonstrated working knowledge and application of current local and NEC Code requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to bend and install conduit, and possess basic motor control and lighting control skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to perform all responsibilities and duties required of a Journeyman Electrician I or II.
Our Mission, Vision and Values

The foundation of our mission is to be customer driven with an emphasis on service, value and integrity. Through our commitment to quality workmanship, safety and honesty, we strive for an excellence that benefits our customer and employees.

At Shaw Electric we value each of these biblical principles; Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, Accountability, Respect, Dependability, Customer Care, Teamwork, Positive Work Ethic, Safe Work Environment, Employee Development, Effective Communication and Merit Philosophy.

Our vision at Shaw Electric is to remain family owned, developed and grow all employees to the best of their ability, contribute to our community with our time, talent and resources, provide outstanding service to customers from concept to production in a safe, secure and loyal manner, be a preferred provider of proficient individuals who value security, opportunity and a sense of accomplishment in an unsurpassed work environment, provide company stability and longevity through customer and employee satisfaction.

Job Posted by ApplicantPro
Post your job
To find residential electricians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any residential electricians they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level residential electricians with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your residential electrician job on Zippia to find and attract quality residential electrician candidates.
- Use niche websites such as constructionjobs.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting residential electricians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new residential electrician
Once you have selected a candidate for the residential electrician position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.
It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new residential electrician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a residential electrician?

Hiring a residential electrician comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting residential electricians involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of residential electrician recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

The median annual salary for residential electricians is $60,514 in the US. However, the cost of residential electrician hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a residential electrician for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $19 and $43 an hour.

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Hiring residential electricians FAQs

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Updated December 15, 2025

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How to hire a residential electrician