Electrician & Power Line programs: earnings, debt and schools by state
870 certificate and associate-degree programs at 646 U.S. schools teach electricians and line installers. Federal data shows what past graduates earned and borrowed. Programs under CIP 46.03 (Electrical and Power Transmission Installers) cover wiring, the National Electrical Code, motors and controls, and in some schools power-line work.
Best-paying electrician programs (one year after completion)
Ranked by the median earnings of completers working and not enrolled, among programs with at least 10 earners reported. High earnings can reflect local labor markets and who enrolls, so compare debt and completion too.
| School | City | Program | Credential | Completers/yr | 1-yr earnings | Median debt | Monthly payment* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson College | Jackson, MI | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 58 | $151,840 | – | – |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh, PA | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 24 | $133,940 | – | – |
| Brookdale Community College | Lincroft, NJ | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 16 | $116,975 | – | – |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | Chicago, IL | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 33 | $112,442 | – | – |
| Pierpont Community and Technical College | Fairmont, WV | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 12 | $106,469 | – | – |
| Kennebec Valley Community College | Fairfield, ME | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 39 | $99,810 | $9,500 | $108 |
| Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 228 | $85,737 | $7,649 | $87 |
| Emily Griffith Technical College | Denver, CO | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 4 | $80,750 | – | – |
| Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 134 | $78,758 | $11,000 | $125 |
| Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon, IA | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 64 | $78,712 | $5,500 | $63 |
| Metropolitan Community College Area | Omaha, NE | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 82 | $77,958 | $6,911 | $79 |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | Owensboro, KY | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 725 | $76,789 | $8,805 | $100 |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | Owensboro, KY | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 59 | $76,523 | $5,500 | $63 |
| Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon, IA | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate degree | 23 | $76,164 | $10,865 | $123 |
| Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Certificate | 52 | $75,932 | $5,500 | $63 |
*Scorecard's estimated monthly payment on the median debt over 10 years. “Not reported” means the Department suppressed or did not publish the figure.
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Electrician programs by state
| State | Programs | Schools | Median 1-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 15 | 10 | $37,216 | – |
| Arizona | 22 | 16 | $44,727 | $9,500 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 5 | $72,039 | – |
| California | 89 | 63 | $48,082 | $9,500 |
| Colorado | 11 | 8 | $63,142 | $5,500 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 7 | $42,700 | $13,000 |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Florida | 49 | 48 | $37,362 | $8,055 |
| Georgia | 35 | 26 | $46,097 | $9,810 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 3 | $42,929 | – |
| Idaho | 4 | 4 | not reported | – |
| Illinois | 29 | 20 | $44,384 | $10,546 |
| Indiana | 5 | 3 | $49,395 | $10,569 |
| Iowa | 15 | 9 | $69,590 | $5,500 |
| Kansas | 22 | 15 | $44,347 | $7,750 |
| Kentucky | 25 | 16 | $56,201 | $9,228 |
| Louisiana | 15 | 13 | $41,697 | $8,250 |
| Maine | 8 | 6 | $59,251 | $9,516 |
| Maryland | 3 | 2 | $45,084 | $14,907 |
| Massachusetts | 5 | 4 | $48,162 | $5,958 |
| Michigan | 21 | 14 | $59,252 | $5,500 |
| Minnesota | 25 | 16 | $51,194 | $12,000 |
| Mississippi | 25 | 15 | $43,834 | $8,738 |
| Missouri | 10 | 7 | $61,224 | $10,125 |
| Montana | 3 | 2 | not reported | – |
| Nebraska | 11 | 6 | $66,735 | $9,383 |
| Nevada | 10 | 6 | $44,792 | $8,550 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 1 | not reported | – |
| New Jersey | 18 | 17 | $38,450 | $12,244 |
| New Mexico | 11 | 8 | not reported | – |
| New York | 16 | 13 | $44,330 | $11,744 |
| North Carolina | 75 | 41 | $58,048 | $8,750 |
| North Dakota | 4 | 3 | $69,717 | $8,703 |
| Ohio | 24 | 22 | $56,057 | $5,500 |
| Oklahoma | 22 | 21 | $37,688 | $12,132 |
| Oregon | 19 | 10 | not reported | – |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | 33 | $44,119 | $12,000 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 2 | $43,001 | $8,750 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 8 | $45,052 | $5,500 |
| South Dakota | 6 | 5 | $54,199 | $12,000 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 16 | $39,728 | $5,500 |
| Texas | 56 | 37 | $35,958 | $7,912 |
| Utah | 10 | 8 | $74,000 | $5,945 |
| Virginia | 20 | 18 | $44,844 | $14,750 |
| Washington | 13 | 9 | $64,573 | $17,416 |
| West Virginia | 11 | 11 | $106,469 | – |
| Wisconsin | 13 | 12 | $60,651 | $5,500 |
| Wyoming | 7 | 6 | not reported | – |
States with fewer than three programs have no detail page.
What to know before you enroll
Electrician licensing is set state by state and usually requires documented apprenticeship hours in addition to classroom study. A school program can shorten the path but rarely replaces the hours requirement.
Questions to ask every school
- Do your classroom hours count toward my state's licensing requirement?
- Is there a pre-apprenticeship or union/non-union placement path?
- How current is the code book you teach from?
For national pay and job outlook, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics profile: Electricians.
Frequently asked questions
How much do electrician graduates earn?
Among 251 electrician programs that report earnings, the median first-year figure is $47,467 for certificate programs ($44,727) and $49,548 for associate programs. These are medians of past graduates and vary by state and employer.
How much debt do electrician students take on?
The median federal loan debt among borrowers across programs reporting it is $9,500. Many students in short programs borrow nothing; the figure only covers borrowers.
Is the data current?
It comes from the College Scorecard release dated October 15, 2026. The Department updates it annually and each figure describes graduates from earlier years.
Can I trust a school's own job-placement claims?
Treat them as a starting point. Ask for the placement rate definition, the number of graduates counted and the time window, then compare with the federal earnings above.
Related programs
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study and Institution files (release dated 10/15/2026). Earnings are median annual earnings of completers working and not enrolled one year after finishing; debt is median federal loan debt of borrowers; both describe past cohorts and small programs are suppressed by the Department. See our methodology.