Electrician.
Pittsburgh.
$55,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$44,000 to $73,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Pittsburgh is 8% cheaper than the national average. For Electricians, that shakes out to a median of $55,000, with the full range spanning $44,000 to $73,000. License level (journeyman vs. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Electrician in Pittsburgh, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $69,340 for Electricians (SOC 47-2111) in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area, based on 5,210 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$45,780
25th percentile
$56,980
Median
$69,340
75th percentile
$99,050
90th percentile
$106,840
Workers surveyed
5,210
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Electricians (SOC 47-2111) rather than Electrician specifically. The Pittsburgh range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 47-2111Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $49,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $44,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$47,000
to $58,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$61,000
to $72,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $11,000 to the total package.
Base
$55,000
Equity
$6,000
Bonus
$4,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $66,000
How Pittsburgh compares.
Pittsburgh, PA
$55,000
Cost of living: 8% below average
National Average
$62,000
Pittsburgh is $7,000 below
Electrician salary by city.
Salary by role in Pittsburgh.
What you should know.
The Electrician landscape in Pittsburgh is not what most salary sites will tell you. Pittsburgh has reinvented itself from a steel city into a hub for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare technology. Carnegie Mellon University feeds a strong talent pipeline into AI and robotics companies. The city's low cost of living combined with world class research institutions makes it a hidden gem for technology professionals. License level (journeyman vs. master), union membership, and specialization are the primary factors. Industrial electricians and those working on high voltage systems earn significantly more than residential wirers. Overtime availability, geographic demand, and experience with renewable energy systems (solar, EV charging) also drive compensation upward.
Apprentice electricians earn $35,000 to $48,000 during their four to five year training. Journeyman electricians earn $55,000 to $80,000. Master electricians command $75,000 to $105,000. Electrical contractors who start their own business or move into project management can earn $100,000 to $150,000+. In Pittsburgh, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Union electricians receive substantial benefits including pension contributions, health insurance, annuity, and apprenticeship funds that add 30 to 40% on top of hourly wages. Overtime at 1.5x to 2x the base rate is common. Non union electricians negotiate benefits individually, with more variation in total package value. And on the tax side: pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state tax is low, but Pittsburgh adds a local earned income tax of about 3%. Combined with the school district tax, local taxes require attention in negotiations. When someone quotes you $55,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight robotics or AI specialization. Pittsburgh employers tied to CMU's research ecosystem pay nationally competitive salaries for candidates with advanced technical skills. The range for Electricians in Pittsburgh runs from $44,000 to $73,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Electrician salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Pittsburgh.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Electrician Salary in Pittsburgh, PA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/electrician/pittsburgh
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