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Official ONS earnings · Updated September 2026

Electrician salary in the UK

Full-time employed electricians earn a median of £39,647 a year (£19.20 an hour), 2% above the £39,039 median for all UK full-time employees.

Median yearly pay, full-time
£39,647
Median hourly pay
£19.20
Median weekly pay
£791
Top 20% earn more than
£51,921

Pay range

What electricians earn, from lowest to highest

Yearly pay for full-time employees at each point of the range (percentiles).

  1. 10% earn under£24,538
  2. 20% earn under£29,952
  3. 25% earn under£32,287
  4. 30% earn under£33,973
  5. 40% earn under£36,922
  6. Median (50%)£39,647
  7. 60% earn under£42,713
  8. 70% earn under£46,387
  9. 75% earn under£49,138
  10. 80% earn under£51,921

Points are shown only where ONS rates the estimate as reliable. The median changed by +2.7% on 2024.

The trade in numbers

  • 50,120 active electrical installation companies on Companies House.
  • 51.2% of those set up in 2019–2020 were still going five years later.
  • 8.9% are currently proposed for strike-off or in insolvency.

From our Trade Survival Index and Trade Index.

Qualifications

  • A Level 3 electrotechnical qualification, usually through a 3 to 4 year apprenticeship, ending with the AM2 practical assessment.
  • An ECS (JIB) card to work on most construction sites.
  • Registration with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT to self-certify domestic work under Part P of the Building Regulations.

Self-employed

Self-employed electrician earnings

Self-employed electricians usually charge a day or hourly rate and pay for their own van, tools, insurance and scheme membership. ONS doesn't publish figures for self-employed earnings by trade.

Working for yourself? Compare sole trader vs limited company, or work out CIS deductions and refunds.

Compare

How it compares with other trades

See the full ranking of UK trade salaries, from air-conditioning engineers to gardeners, in the highest paid trades in the UK.

Hiring rather than training? Find local electricians and building services or get free quotes.

Electrician salary FAQs

Full-time employed electricians earn a median £39,647 a year, according to ONS figures for 2025. The middle half earn between £32,287 and £49,138.

The median for full-time employed electricians is £19.20 an hour, typically on a 40-hour paid week. Self-employed electricians charge customers more per hour to cover their costs.

The top 20% of full-time employed electricians earn more than £51,921 a year. Supervisors, specialists and those working overtime or away from home tend to earn most.

Self-employed electricians usually charge a day or hourly rate and pay for their own van, tools, insurance and scheme membership. ONS doesn't publish figures for self-employed earnings by trade.

There were 50,120 active electrical installation companies on the Companies House register in September 2026, plus many sole traders and employees. About 51.2% of such companies set up in 2019–2020 were still trading five years later.

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14, full-time employee jobs, UK: Electricians and electrical fitters (SOC 5241). Excludes the self-employed. We'll update this page when ONS publishes the 2026 figures.