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Home / Electricians / Minnesota
How to become an electrician in Minnesota
Minnesota licenses electricians at the state level through DLI.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.
Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In MN
- 31 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In MN
- 16 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed electrical contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Start as an apprentice or trainee
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
- Issued by
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), with the Board of Electricity
journeyworker4 yrs
At least 4 years of acceptable experience wiring, installing and repairing electrical equipment (a two-year approved post-high-school electrical course can count for 1 year)
- Time
- 4 yrs
Master license1 yr
A four-year electrical degree, or 1 year as a licensed journeyworker, or 5 years of acceptable experience planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical work
- Time
- 1 yr
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a electrical contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Minnesota license.
$78,160
a year is the median for electricians in Minnesota ($37.58 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Mankato$39.96
- Duluth$39.76
- Minneapolis–St. Paul$39.37
- St. Cloud$39.37
- Rochester$38.29
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in Minnesota?
Check the Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) before you bid work on your own.2
Are electricians in demand in Minnesota?
Projections Central expects about 1,490 electrician openings a year in Minnesota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
31 registered programs in Minnesota. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in Minnesota
Sources
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), with the Board of Electricity (revisor.mn.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing (dli.mn.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Minnesota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)