Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / Electricians / West Virginia

Hands stripping a wire with pliers at an open junction box on a white wall

Home / Electricians / West Virginia

How to become an electrician in West Virginia

West Virginia licenses electricians at the state level through the West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office, Regulatory and Licensing Division.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

6registered apprenticeship programs$31.16median an hour in West Virginia

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 WV
6 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 WV
11 schools with programs
Compare 11 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. 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
    West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office, Regulatory and Licensing Division
    Compare the ways in
  2. Journeyman Electrician
  3. Master Electrician
  4. HVAC specialty electrician
  5. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board
    West Virginia contractor license
Pay once you're working

$64,810

a year is the median for electricians in West Virginia ($31.16 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Weirton–Steubenville$33.08
  2. Wheeling$32.20
  3. Charleston$31.17
  4. Huntington–Ashland$30.59
  5. Beckley$30.32
West Virginia median $31.16 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in West Virginia?

Yes. West Virginia licenses electrical contractors through the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board.2

Are electricians in demand in West Virginia?

Projections Central expects about 430 electrician openings a year in West Virginia through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

6 registered programs in West Virginia. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for electricians in West Virginia

Sources

  1. West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office, Regulatory and Licensing Division (firemarshal.wv.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board contractor licensing (wvclboard.wv.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, West Virginia, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)