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Home / Electricians / New Mexico
How to become an electrician in New Mexico
New Mexico licenses electricians at the state level through CID.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 NM
- 5 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In NM
- 8 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
- New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID)
ER-1J2 yrs
2 years
- Time
- 2 yrs
EE-98J4 yrs
4 years
- Time
- 4 yrs
EL-1J4 yrs
4 years
- Time
- 4 yrs
Run your own shop
Four years of work experience within the last 10 years in the classification for most classes (some, such as GA-2, require two). Approved technical training can replace up to half of the required experience, counting each year of training as half a year.
- Issued by
- NM Regulation and Licensing Dept - Construction Industries Division (CID)
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the New Mexico license.
$58,390
a year is the median for electricians in New Mexico ($28.07 an hour, May 2025).5
Pay by city and percentile- Albuquerque$28.43
- Santa Fe$27.52
- Farmington$27.48
- Las Cruces$25.95
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in New Mexico?
Yes. New Mexico licenses electrical contractors through the NM Regulation and Licensing Dept.3
Are electricians in demand in New Mexico?
Projections Central expects about 580 electrician openings a year in New Mexico through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4
Find an apprenticeship near you
5 registered programs in New Mexico. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in New Mexico
Sources
- New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID) (rld.nm.gov, 2026-10-27)
- New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID): experience requirements (srca.nm.gov, 2026-10-27)
- NM Regulation and Licensing Dept - Construction Industries Division (CID) contractor licensing (rld.nm.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Mexico, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)