#1Portland, OR
$47.93/hr
Nominal $50.53/hr · Price index 105.4
Cost-of-living adjusted pay
Where $50 an hour goes furthest
For electricians, Portland is where pay goes furthest. The BLS OEWS May 2025 median is $50.53 an hour, and the BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 index for the Portland area is 105.4 (US average = 100). Adjusted, the pay equals $47.93 an hour: the highest buying power of the 25 cities. $50 an hour in Portland has the buying power of $54.83 in San Francisco.
Top city
Portland
OR
Adjusted pay
$47.93/hr
buying power vs US average
Nominal median
$50.53/hr
BLS OEWS May 2025
Price index
105.4
US average = 100
25 cities ranked by adjusted pay
Every city ranked by what electricians pay buys after local prices. Bars are proportional to adjusted pay.
#2Chicago, IL
$47.50/hr
Nominal $49.21/hr · Price index 103.6
#3Seattle, WA
$44.03/hr
Nominal $48.93/hr · Price index 111.1
#4Detroit, MI
$39.30/hr
Nominal $39.42/hr · Price index 100.3
#5St. Louis, MO
$39.02/hr
Nominal $37.10/hr · Price index 95.1
#6San Francisco, CA
$38.60/hr
Nominal $44.63/hr · Price index 115.6
#7Minneapolis, MN
$37.56/hr
Nominal $39.37/hr · Price index 104.8
#8Boston, MA
$35.49/hr
Nominal $38.42/hr · Price index 108.3
#9Philadelphia, PA
$34.97/hr
Nominal $35.86/hr · Price index 102.6
#10New York, NY
$33.75/hr
Nominal $37.99/hr · Price index 112.6
#11Sacramento, CA
$33.73/hr
Nominal $35.98/hr · Price index 106.7
#12Washington, DC
$33.52/hr
Nominal $36.50/hr · Price index 108.9
#13San Diego, CA
$32.73/hr
Nominal $36.62/hr · Price index 111.9
#14Los Angeles, CA
$31.25/hr
Nominal $35.49/hr · Price index 113.6
#15Baltimore, MD
$30.19/hr
Nominal $31.54/hr · Price index 104.5
#16Charlotte, NC
$29.18/hr
Nominal $28.41/hr · Price index 97.3
#17San Antonio, TX
$28.94/hr
Nominal $27.41/hr · Price index 94.7
#18Houston, TX
$28.85/hr
Nominal $28.45/hr · Price index 98.6
#19Denver, CO
$28.70/hr
Nominal $30.36/hr · Price index 105.8
#20Phoenix, AZ
$28.49/hr
Nominal $29.43/hr · Price index 103.3
#21Atlanta, GA
$28.18/hr
Nominal $28.20/hr · Price index 100.1
#22Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
$27.52/hr
Nominal $28.37/hr · Price index 103.1
#23Tampa, FL
$27.38/hr
Nominal $27.62/hr · Price index 100.9
#24Miami, FL
$24.69/hr
Nominal $28.19/hr · Price index 114.2
#25Orlando, FL
$24.09/hr
Nominal $24.43/hr · Price index 101.4
Adjusted pay equals the BLS OEWS May 2025 median divided by the BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 index (2024 vintage, US average = 100) for the city. Official BLS figures are unchanged on the linked city pages. In May 2026 dollars dollars (BLS CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0), the 2015 median for electricians in Portland was $49.42/hr; the 2025 median is $52.68/hr.
Real pay, FAQ
Where does $50 an hour go furthest for electricians?
For electricians, Portland is where pay goes furthest. The BLS OEWS May 2025 median is $50.53 an hour, and the BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 index for the Portland area is 105.4 (US average = 100). Adjusted, the pay equals $47.93 an hour: the highest buying power of the 25 cities. $50 an hour in Portland has the buying power of $54.83 in San Francisco.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS OEWS May 2025 (median hourly pay); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (2024, all items); BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, series CUUR0000SA0 (May 2026 dollars). Figures the BLS did not publish stay blank; nothing is interpolated.