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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / Electricians / North Carolina

How to become an electrician in North Carolina

North Carolina has no state license or exam for individual electricians; cities and counties license them. The state licenses electrical contractors through the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors.1

55registered apprenticeship programs$27.31median an hour in North Carolina

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 NC
55 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 NC
41 schools with programs
Compare 41 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

    To bid and contract on your own you need an electrical contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
    North Carolina contractor license
Pay once you're working

$56,800

a year is the median for electricians in North Carolina ($27.31 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Durham–Chapel Hill$28.47
  2. Charlotte–Concord$28.41
  3. Greensboro–High Point$28.07
  4. Fayetteville$27.74
  5. Raleigh–Cary$27.31
North Carolina median $27.31 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in North Carolina?

Check the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors before you bid work on your own.2

Are electricians in demand in North Carolina?

Projections Central expects about 2,590 electrician openings a year in North Carolina through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

55 registered programs in North Carolina. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for electricians in North Carolina

Sources

  1. NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (ncbeec.org, 2026-10-27)
  2. NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (ncbeec.org)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Carolina, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)