Electrician Jobs in Philadelphia, PA
Electricians in the Philadelphia area average close to $40 an hour, and SEPTA is posting first-class electrician jobs at $38.41 rising to $42.67. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what the city's Electrical Contractor License requires, and how the IBEW Local 98 apprenticeship works.
Current electrician Openings in Philadelphia, PA
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Electrician Work in Philadelphia
Philadelphia electrical work splits three ways. Transit and rail employ a large maintenance workforce: SEPTA's Building Trades department and its rail-car shops keep stations, substations and vehicles running, and Amtrak staffs electricians around 30th Street Station in University City. Institutions come next, with Penn, Jefferson and facilities contractors like U.S. Facilities running round-the-clock electrician shifts in hospitals, campuses and Center City office towers. The third market is residential service, where companies such as GEN3 Electric & HVAC rewire, upgrade panels and add circuits in the city's older rowhouse stock from South Philly to the Northeast.
Top Philadelphia Employers Hiring Electricians
These employers had electrician openings in Philadelphia on their own careers sites this month:
- SEPTA - the transit authority hires first-class electricians for Building Trades and vehicle electrical maintainers for its rail shops, with pay steps after 12 months.
- Amtrak - the railroad posts journeyman electrician and substation trainee roles based near 30th Street Station.
- U.S. Facilities - the Market Street facilities contractor staffs electricians on day, evening and overnight shifts.
- GEN3 Electric & HVAC - the residential contractor hires apprentice, lead residential and lead install electricians.
- Jefferson Health - the health system posts full-time facilities electrician jobs for its Philadelphia hospitals.
- University of Pennsylvania - Penn's facilities operation hires electricians for its University City campus.
Electrician Salaries in Philadelphia
- Apprentice and entry level: about $20 to $24 an hour, the range of posted residential apprentice pay and the state's entry-level figure for the area.
- Experienced: roughly $31 to $43 an hour, where current Amtrak and SEPTA electrician postings sit.
- Senior: around $44 to $48 an hour for top journeymen, leads and industrial specialists; the state's experienced-worker average for the area is $99,740 a year.
These are estimates drawn from Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry wage data for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Division (May 2025) and live postings. Pay moves with the employer type, the shift, union status and specialty; transit, rail and institutional jobs add pensions and full benefits, while residential companies often pay by production or tier.
How to Become an Electrician in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania has no state electrician license. In Philadelphia, the Department of Licenses and Inspections issues one electrical trade license, the Electrical Contractor License, which takes four years of electrical work for a licensed company, a passing score on the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor Examination given by the International Code Council, and 8 hours of National Electrical Code continuing education. The city has no separate journeyman or master electrician license. Most people enter through an apprenticeship: IBEW Local 98 trains inside wiremen through Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry at 1719 Spring Garden Street, taking applications in the first two full weeks of April. Orleans Technical College on Red Lion Road in the Northeast runs an 8-month Residential and Commercial Electricity program, and anyone working on a city construction site needs an OSHA 10 card.
What the Job Involves
Electricians install, maintain and repair wiring, panels, lighting, motors and controls. A typical day means reading drawings, bending and running conduit, pulling and terminating wire, testing circuits with a meter, and tracing faults. Maintenance electricians spend more time on troubleshooting, preventive work and emergency calls, while residential electricians handle service upgrades, new circuits and customer walkthroughs.
Skills Employers Look For
- Working knowledge of the National Electrical Code
- Conduit bending, wire pulling and termination
- Troubleshooting with meters and testers
- Blueprint and schematic reading
- Lockout/tagout and OSHA safety habits
- A valid driver's license, and for SEPTA, the ability to get a CDL
Career Path and Advancement
Philadelphia electricians usually start as helpers or apprentices, earn journeyman status through four or more years of paid training, then move into lead, foreman or specialist roles in controls, substations or rail vehicles. Four years of experience also qualifies you to sit for the city's Electrical Contractor License, which lets you pull permits and run your own shop. Institutional electricians often move up to maintenance supervisor or facilities manager.
Related Careers in Philadelphia
If electrical work interests you, these related Philadelphia roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be an electrician in Philadelphia?
Pennsylvania has no state electrician license, and Philadelphia has no journeyman or master electrician license. The city's license is the Electrical Contractor License from the Department of Licenses and Inspections, which requires four years of experience and the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor Examination. Employers set their own requirements for the electricians they hire.
How much do electricians make in Philadelphia?
Apprentices typically start around $20 to $24 an hour. Experienced electricians earn roughly $31 to $43 an hour, and SEPTA's first-class electrician posting pays $38.41 rising to $42.67 after a year. The state's experienced-worker average for the Philadelphia area is close to $100,000 a year.
How do I join the IBEW Local 98 apprenticeship?
Applications go through Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry at 1719 Spring Garden Street and are taken in the first two full weeks of April. Past application rules called for being 18 or older, a high school diploma or GED, one credit of algebra and a passing aptitude test score. Check the program's own site for the current year's dates.
Do electricians need OSHA 10 in Philadelphia?
Yes, if you work on a construction or demolition site. Philadelphia law requires every worker on those sites to complete OSHA 10 Construction training, and L&I can fine $1,000 per worker without it. Maintenance electricians in hospitals or transit shops follow their employer's safety training instead.
Is there a trade school for electricians in Philadelphia?
Orleans Technical College, 2770 Red Lion Road in Northeast Philadelphia, offers an 8-month day program in Residential and Commercial Electricity. Community College of Philadelphia offers a Facilities Management associate degree, and Lincoln Tech's electrical program now runs from its Levittown campus.
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