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Job Outlook
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Department discovered that electrician jobs will see a 27.8% increase by 2024.
As an electrician in the State of Texas, expect to be paid $46,992 per year, though the salary can reach $53,547 annually.
By contrast, these salaries are a bit lower than at the national level, with the median one being $47,951 per year, and the highest being $54,640 per year.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Electricians in Texas
City Name | Salary |
---|---|
Houston | $49,149 |
Dallas | $47,630 |
San Antonio | $46,704 |
Austin | $47,231 |
El Paso | $41,941 |
Fort Worth | $46,724 |
Arlington | $46,647 |
Corpus Christi | $44,374 |
Plano | $47,426 |
Garland | $47,528 |
If you are considering a career in this industry, read on to find out more about the requirements for working in Texas.
Become an apprentice
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issues the electrician certifications, which require:
- 8,000 hours and 4 years of experience for a journeyman license
- 4,000 hours and 2 years of experience for a residential wire-man
You can either get trained in a union or non-union program or attend a vocational school.
Vocational Schools
During the 48 weeks of training, you will learn subjects like:
- Commercial Wiring
- Tech Electrical
- Electronics for Electricians
- Grounding Electrical
- Programmable Controllers
- Conduit Bending for Electrical
- Electrical/Micro Comp
- Fiber Optic Electrical
- Fire Alarm/Security
- Electric Motor Control
- Electrical Code
- Arc Welding
- Standard First Aid
The vocational schools provide practical training for an electrician career.
50 Electrician Schools in Texas
School Name | Address |
---|---|
Austin Community College | 5930 Middle Fiskville Road Austin, TX 78752 |
Brazosport College | 500 Colleges Drive Lake Jackson, TX |
CenTex Chapter IEC | 8868 Research Boulevard Austin, TX 78758 |
Cisco College | 101 College Heights Cisco, TX 76437 |
El Paso Community College | 9050 Viscount Boulevard El Paso, TX 79925 |
El Paso Chapter IEC | 6596 Montana Avenue El Paso, TX 79925 |
Galveston College | 4015 Avenue Q Galveston, TX 77550 |
Greyson College — Main Campus | 6101 Grayson Drive Denison, TX 75020 |
Greyson College — South Campus | 1455 West Van Alstyne Parkway Van Alstyne, TX 75495 |
Houston Community College | 3100 Main Street Houston, TX 77002 |
IEC Dallas Chapter | 1931 Hereford Drive Irving, TX 75038 |
IEC of East Texas | P.O. Box 1261 Tyler, Texas 75710 |
IEC Fort Worth/Tarrant County | 5809 East Berry Street Fort Worth, TX 76119 |
IEC Texas Gulf Coast Chapter | 601 North Shepherd Road Houston, TX 77007 |
IEC of the Texas Panhandle | 200 South Main Street Borger, TX 79007 |
IEC of Texas | 1005 Congress, Suite 162 Austin, Texas 78701 |
JATC of Austin | 4000 Caven Road Austin, TX 78744 |
JATC of Beaumont | 707 Helena Avenue Nederland, TX 77627 |
JATC of El Paso | 6040 Luckett Court El Paso, TX 79932 |
JATC of East Texas | 2914 East Marshall Avenue Longview, TX 75601 |
JATC of Houston | 108 Covern Street Houston, TX 77061 |
JATC of North Texas | 680 West Tarrant Road Grand Prairie, TX 75050 |
JATC of Rio Grand Valley / Laredo | 224 North McColl Road McAllen, TX 78501 |
JATC of South Texas | 2503 Blanco Road San Antonio, TX 78212 |
JATC of San Angelo | 909 Caddo Street San Angelo, TX 76901 |
JATC of Texarkana | 114 Elm Street Nash, TX 75569 |
JATC of Texas Gulf Coast | 2301 Saratoga Corpus Christi, TX 78417 |
JATC of Tyler | 200 North John Avenue Tyler, TX 75702 |
JATC of Waco | 1813 Orchard Lane Waco, TX 76705 |
JATC of West Texas | 200 South Fannin Road Amarillo, TX 79105 |
JATC of Wichita Falls | 6111 Jacksboro Highway Wichita Falls, TX 76302 |
Laredo Community College — South Campus | 5500 South Zapata Highway Laredo, TX |
Lee College | 200 Lee Drive Baytown, TX 77520 |
Lone Star College — Tomball Campus | 30555 Tomball Parkway Tomball, TX 77375 |
Lubbock Chapter IEC | 6310 Genoa Ave # C, Lubbock, TX 79424 |
Kilgore College | 1100 Broadway Kilgore, TX 75662 |
Kilgore College — Longview Campus | 300 South High Street Longview, TX 75601 |
North Lake College — Central Campus | 5001 North MacArthur Boulevard Irving, TX 75038 |
Paris Junior College — Workforce Education | 2400 Clarksville Street Paris, TX 75460 |
Rio Grande Valley IEC | 219 East Monroe Avenue Harlingen, TX 78550 |
San Antonio Chapter IEC | 2307 Bandera Road San Antonio, TX 78228 |
San Jacinto College — Central Campus | 8060 Spencer Highway Pasadena, TX 77505 |
San Jacinto College — North Campus | 5800 Uvalde Houston, TX 77049 |
St. Philip’s College | 1801 M. L. King Drive San Antonio, TX 78203 |
South Texas College | 3201 West Pecan McAllen, TX 78501 |
Texas Southmost College | 80 Fort Brown Brownsville, TX 78520 |
Texas State Technical College | 3801 College Drive Waco, Texas 76705 |
Texarkana College | 2500 North Robison Road Texarkana, TX 75599 |
Victoria College | 2200-A East Red River Victoria, TX |
Western Texas College | 6200 College Avenue Snyder, TX 79549 |
You can then attend a union or non-union program to complete the remaining training for an electrician license.
Union or Non-Union Programs
Texas has 44 programs, from which 11 are Electrician Training Alliance Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committees (JATCs), and they can be found on the list above.
The non-union programs are managed by either Texas chapters of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc (ABC) or Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) and you can find them on the list above.
To get your apprenticeship registered, submit a form and a fee of $20 to:
- The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- PO Box 12157
- Austin, Texas 78711
You will need to renew it each year for the duration of your training.
Pass the journeyman exam
You will need to submit an application, proof of experience and $30 fee to:
- The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- PO Box 12157
- Austin, Texas 78711
The test requires a $74 fee, has 80 questions, lasts 4 hours and needs a 70% passing score.
The topics are:
- Definitions, Calculations, Theory, and Plans—6 questions
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems—9 questions
- Electrical Feeders—3 questions
- Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors—15 questions
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials—18 questions
- Electrical Equipment and Devices—10 questions
- Motors and Generators—5 questions
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means—3 questions
- Special Occupancies, Equipment—9 questions
- Renewable energy technologies—2 questions
You will need to renew the license every 1.5 years, attend 4 extra education hours and pay a $30 fee.
For the TDLR, you need to bring proof of one hour of education on each of the following subjects:
- National Electric Code (NEC)
- Texas Law (Title 8, Occupations Code, Chapter 1305)
- Texas Rules (Title 16, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 73)
- Electrical safety (NFPA 70E)
Residential Wireman License
For this license, you need to bring proof of experience, complete an application and pay a $20 fee.
The exam requires a $60 fee, has 80 questions, lasts 4 hours and needs a 70% passing score.
The topics cover:
- Definitions, Calculations, Theory, and Plans—8 questions
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems—16 questions
- Electrical Feeders—7 questions
- Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors—14 questions
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials—10 questions
- Electrical Equipment and Devices—12 questions
- Motors and Generators—2 questions
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means—2 questions
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions—7 questions
- Renewable Energy Technologies—2 questions
You will need to renew the license every 1.5 years, attend 4 extra education hours and pay a $20 fee.
Become an electrical contractor
To apply for the master electrician license, you need 12,000 hours of job experience.
You also need to submit a form, pay a $45 submission fee along with a fee of $74 covering the exam.
The exam has 100 questions, lasts for 5 hours and requires a 70% passing score.
The subjects covered are:
- Definitions, Calculations, Theory, and Plans—12 questions
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems—16 questions
- Electrical Feeders—4 questions
- Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors—15 questions
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials—16 questions
- Electrical Equipment and Devices—12 questions
- Motors and Generators—8 questions
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means—3 questions
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions—12 questions
- Renewable Energy Technologies—2 questions
The license needs to be renewed every 1.5 years which costs $45 and requires 4 additional education hours.
If you decide to become an electrical contractor and start a business, you need a master electrician license.
You will also need to submit an application along with a $110 fee, and renew it every 1.5 years for the same amount.