The Average Salary of an Electrician's Apprentice

Most electricians undergo a formal apprenticeship program before becoming a professional electrician. Apprenticeships combine classroom instruction with paid on-the-job training. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an apprenticeship can last four years and includes a minimum of 144 hours of classroom study and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training. Another name for an apprentice electrician is an electrician helper, according to O*Net, a website sponsored by the Department of Labor.

National Salary

• The mean hourly wage for electrician helpers was $13.40 and the mean annual wage, or average annual salary, was $27,870, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Median annual wages for electrician helpers ranged from approximately $19,020 to $38,490. The lowest 10 percent of employees earn less than $19,020 and the top 10 percent of employees earn more than $38,490.

High Employment

• The building equipment contractors industry employed the largest number of electrician helpers with an average annual salary of $27,500, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that employed large numbers were: nonresidential building construction, $29,890; the local government, $48,340; employment services, $28,590; electric power generation, transmission and distribution, $34,430.

Top-Paying Industries

• General medical and surgical hospitals paid the highest average annual salary above all other industries to electrician helpers, with $49,810, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that offered high pay were: the local government, $48,340; colleges, universities, and professionals schools, $34,500; electric power generation, transmission and distribution, $34,430; and junior colleges, $33,580.

Top-Paying States

• Alaska paid the highest average annual salary above all other states to electrician helpers, with $45,600, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other states that offered high pay were: Hawaii, $37,210; Connecticut, $36,580; Idaho, $35,690; and Oregon, $35,460.

Job Outlook

• According to O*Net, the national employment for electrician helpers is expected to increase at a rate of 20 percent or higher from 2008 through 2018. In 2008, the top industry for electrician helpers was the construction industry.