Hiring an electrician costs between $163 and $536 on average, but most people pay about $348, depending on the project’s difficulty and size and the electrician’s experience.
Hiring an electrician costs $348 on average, but it depends on the job. Due to this variety, you’ll pay between $163 to $536, depending on the location and electrician’s level of experience. Electrician hourly rates range from $50 to $130, with a service call fee of $100 to $200 for the first hour of their time. Let’s review how much it costs to hire a professional electrician to illuminate your home.
Hiring a qualified pro costs $50 to $100 per hour, with most common electrical tasks costing between $163 and $536.
The first hour of an electrical job costs more than subsequent hours, about $150 on average. Hiring an electrician for an emergency visit tends to double the hourly rate, so you could pay between $100 and $200 for a fast fix. The total price is dependent on the home size, license type and project complexity.
Like many trades, electricians have different levels of skill based on their training and experience. Less-experienced electricians may be more limited in the types of electrical jobs they can take, but they cost less to hire. On the flip side, the most experienced and highly trained electricians are masters. While their hourly costs are the highest, they’re the best suited for difficult or labor-intensive electrical work.
| Electrician Type | Experience | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | Training to become a licensed electrician | $40–$60 |
| Journeyperson Electrician | Standard licensed electrician | $60–$90 |
| Master Electrician | Highest level of electrician, specializing in complex projects | $90–$120 |
As you scout out local electricians, you’ll notice that some appear to be self-employed, while others work for larger companies or franchises. Does that mean there’s a cost difference between the two?
Regional pricing and local competition often keep prices relatively similar. However, there can be individual variances, which is why we suggest getting a few quotes for larger projects to understand the price ranges in your area.
You can expect a greater range for self-employed services and more standardized pricing for the big franchises.
When looking for an electrician, always check that they have proof of licensing and insurance. If an electrician’s rates seem strangely low, there’s a chance they are operating without the required documentation or training.
Electricians charge an hourly minimum, even if the job takes 30 minutes or less, to cover overhead fees (think insurance, supplies, travel time, etc.). This required minimum varies depending on the electrician, but you can count on paying anywhere from one to four hours’ worth of labor no matter how much time the job takes. This is why it’s always a good idea to wrap as many electrical jobs as possible into one visit.
Electricians typically add an additional fee of $100 to $200 on top of their regular rates for emergency call-outs during nights and weekends. True electrical emergencies include burning smells from outlets or appliances, a hot electrical panel, and frequent power outages.
Hiring an electrician in a big city is more expensive than hiring one in a rural area. Urban electricians usually charge $100 or more per hour, while rural electricians charge around $50 per hour, though this varies from pro to pro and area to area. Though rural electricians usually charge less per hour, you’ll often pay an increased fee to factor in travel time.
You can expect to pay more in labor fees if the electrical panel, wiring, or light fixture is in a hard-to-reach spot. Thus, you can expect the project to take longer to complete.
Hiring a local electrician averages between $163 and $536, though your bill largely depends on the type of job, the length of the job, and the overall complexity of the work. Here are the typical costs of many common jobs that require a professional electrician.
| Project Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Outlet | $200 – $300 |
| Light switch | $85 – $200 |
| Transfer switches | $200 – $400 |
| Breaker box | $500 – $1,800 |
| Ceiling fan | $140 – $350 |
| Light fixtures | $150 – $6,000 |
| Rewiring a house | $1,500 – $10,000 |
| Home inspection | $280 – $400 |
| Smart fixtures | $200 – $300 |
Installing outlet: $200–$300
Installing light switch: $100–$200
Installing outdoor outlet: $150–$260
Installing a light fixture: $155–$955
Installing a ceiling fan: $140–$350
Installing an attic fan: $370–$915
Rewiring a house: $1,500–$10,000
Home inspection: $300–$420
Replacing a breaker panel: $520–$2,120
Moving an electrical panel: $1,500–$4,000
Upgrading an electrical panel: $1,200–$2,000
Installing a whole-house generator: $1,540–$8,740
Installing generator transfer switch: $400–$2,500
Installing home automation: $200–$1,660
Minor electrical jobs, such as replacing a light switch, won’t require a permit or inspections, but more complex undertakings likely need both. For instance, rewiring a home often requires permits and safety inspections to avoid fire risks and other potential dangers. The cost of a building permit (which includes electrical work) depends on your location, but you may pay between $75 and $150 per permit. A safety inspection costs $100 to $125. If you’re rewiring an old home, permits are more expensive at $200 to $900.
Some telltale signs around your home might indicate that you need an electrician. If you experience any of these issues, it’s time to call in an electrician:
Flickering lights
Blown fuses
Burning smell coming from an outlet
Buzzing or sizzling noises coming from an outlet
Circuit breaker continually trips
2-prong instead of 3-prong outlets
Appliances spark when plugged in
Outlet feels hot to the touch
Using too many extension cords
Higher than average electric bill
Old home that can’t handle the electrical load
Although you can’t change the labor fees when hiring an electrician, there are other ways you can save on your project, including:
Have a licensed inspector regularly check your circuits, outlets, electrical box, cables, wires, and surge protectors to ensure they’re in good working order.
Hire a journeyperson instead of a master electrician when possible.
Clean up the area around the electrical panel and label all of the circuits to save time.
Shop around and purchase fixtures, lights, outlets, and switches at the best price.
Bundle several small electrical projects and hire an electrician to tackle all of them at once.
Get at least 3 quotes from licensed electricians in your area.
Don’t overload your circuits with too many devices and appliances.
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed over 30,000 real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
You should aim to replace your electrical outlets every 15 years, although some GFCI outlets can last as long as 25 years. On the other hand, outlets can go bad much earlier if:
The wiring is in poor condition.
Your circuit is overloaded.
There are loose plugs in the outlet.
If the outlet wasn’t installed properly.
If the outlet wasn’t grounded.
Before hiring an electrician, check out the contractor’s official website and look them up on the Better Business Bureau or your local Department of Labor’s website. If you’re hiring for a complex job, pay special attention to their level of expertise. Also, call up pros directly to ask about their insurance status, specifically liability insurance, and request customer references.
Let them know exactly what type of job you need them to do, and be as specific as possible to get the most accurate estimate. A photo of your project might help them better understand your needs. Ask what kind of prep you should complete before they visit and what kind of cleanup to expect after the visit. Finally, ask how long the project usually takes.
When dealing with electrical work, getting several projects done at once can save you time and money. If an electrician is coming to replace a circuit box, have them replace outlets or light fixtures, too. Adding light switches, outlets, and fixtures to any electrical project you have going on is the most common way to get home improvement projects done quicker.
Unless you’re a licensed electrician, you should not DIY any electrical work in your home. Working with wires and electricity is potentially dangerous to both you and the structure you’re working on, and it could lead to house fires or electric shock if you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing. There’s a big difference between changing a light switch cover and rewiring an entire home. If you’re staring down a potentially difficult electrical job, give a pro a call.
