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Home / Electricians / New York

How to become an electrician in New York

New York has no state license or exam for individual electricians; cities and counties license them. New York has no state electrical contractor license either. There is no state license, so there is no state reciprocity; each city or county sets its own rules.2

102registered apprenticeship programs$37.86median an hour in New York

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In NY
102 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In NY
13 schools with programs
Compare 13 schools
Helper

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
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    New York has no state electrical contractor license. Cities and counties license electrical contractors, so check with the building department where you work.

    Issued by
    City or county
    Licensing in New York
Pay once you're working

$78,750

a year is the median for electricians in New York ($37.86 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. New York–Newark$37.99
  2. Buffalo–Cheektowaga$37.47
  3. Glens Falls$37.34
  4. Rochester$37.17
  5. Syracuse$37.07
New York median $37.86 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in New York?

New York has no state electrical contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.1

Are electricians in demand in New York?

Projections Central expects about 4,020 electrician openings a year in New York through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

102 registered programs in New York. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for electricians in New York

Sources

  1. NYC Department of Buildings (city only (nyc.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. NYC Department of Buildings (city only: local journeyman licenses (ag.ny.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)