Home Improvement Skills & Specialties Electrical

How Much Does an Electrician Cost?

replacing an outlet plate

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Professional electricians are among the busiest of the building trade pros, tackling projects that require careful skill to avoid the risk of fire or electrocution due to incorrect installation, faulty wiring, or lack or proper precautions. Because electricians handle critical projects like installing wiring, lighting, transformers, and circuit breakers, it's typically worth hiring a qualified and licensed electrician. These are projects that should be done by a professional and it's well worth the cost given the level of skill and experience required to complete these projects correctly.

Typically, electricians will fall into one of three categories: Apprentice, Journeyman, or Master Electrician. These indicate their level of experience, skill, and training. An Apprentice will work under the direct supervision of another electrician until they've completed a certain number of years of training and passed a test that includes information on the National Electrical Code. A journeyman electrician can practice on their own, but many work towards becoming a Master Electrician, which is the highest certification within the field. While requirements vary from state-to-state, the cost of an electrician will almost always correspond with their level of certification.

Understanding Electrician Labor Costs

Professional electricians usually charge between $141 to $419 depending on where you live and the skill level of the electrician who does your work.

It can be difficult to book an electrician to perform a single small job since there is little profit margin in it. Where possible, it makes sense to have the electrician complete a number of tasks in the same service call, which will let you get the most out of the service call-out fee. Having a group of light fixtures installed, for example, is more cost-effective on a per-fixture basis than having a single light fixture installed.

Electrician Costs by Service

 Service Cost
Repairing or Replacing an Outlet Receptacle or Switch $133-$296
Grounding an Outlet $25-$50
Replacing a Standard Outlet Receptacle with a GFCI $120-$250
Installing a New Outlet or Switch $140-$165 
Installing a 220/240-Volt Outlet $300
Installing Three-Way Switches  $100-$200
Replacing a Circuit Breaker  $100-$160 
Updating the Electrical Service  $850-$4,000 
Rewiring a House  $1,600-$11,400 
Wiring a New House or New Addition  $3,800
Wiring a Garage  $1,200-$2,500 
Wiring a Basement  $800-$1,500 

Repairing or Replacing an Outlet Receptacle or Switch

This is a very quick job, but the electrician will charge you for a minimum period of labor time, plus the call-out fee. You may want to have the electrician replace several outlets during the service call to get the most out of his or her visit. Considering that outlet receptacles can cost as little as $3 each, you can save a considerable amount of money if you learn to replace outlets yourself.

Grounding an Outlet

If you have an older home with 2-slot outlet receptacles that you need to turn into 3-slot grounded outlets to accept 3-prong plugs, it's an easy task for an experienced electrician, provided the fuse box or circuit breaker panel is grounded. The labor involved will be about 30 minutes, and you should have all the required updates done at the same time. However, if the electrician needs to establish grounding at the main fuse panel or circuit breaker panel, you can expect the costs to at least double.

Replacing a Standard Outlet Receptacle with a GFCI

Where the electrician is simply replacing a standard outlet receptacle with a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter), this is an easy project that costs between $120 and $150 for the service call and a short amount of labor. However, if the job involves running cable and adding a new outlet location, expect to pay from $200 to $250. This project, too, is well within the reach of a homeowner armed with the right information. Installing a GFCI outlet yourself will cost $15 to $25.

Installing a New Outlet or Switch

Installing a new outlet or switch where none exists involves creating an opening in the wall, fishing new cable to a power source, installing a new wall box and device, and making the connections. This is a relatively quick project for a skilled electrician—requiring about 30 minutes of work.

Watch Now: How to Wire and Install an Outlet

Installing a 220/240-Volt Outlet

Wiring a 220/240 volt outlet for an electric clothes dryer or range is not really any harder than wiring a standard outlet, but it can cost more because the electrician may need to run conduit, reorganize circuit breakers in the main panel, or install a new circuit breaker. The electrician will price his work according to the length of cable that needs to be run and the amount of labor time he anticipates.

Installing Three-Way Switches

A skilled electrician can install a set of three-way switches in one to two hours. Expect to pay more if the electrician is installing switches in two locations, requiring new cables and wall boxes.

Replacing a Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers may eventually wear out, and when they do, few homeowners are comfortable working in the main service panel to replace the breaker themselves. However, this is actually a relatively easy job, and a homeowner who knows something about wiring can easily replace a circuit breaker for the cost of the device—which can range from about $10 to $40, depending on the type of breaker.

Warning

Saving money is not a sufficient reason for doing your own electrical repairs unless you are knowledgeable and have a good comfort level with your skills. Electricity behaves in a very logical fashion that becomes easy to understand with experience, but it can and does kill people who make mistakes.

Watch Now: How to Safely Remove & Replace a Circuit Breaker

Updating the Electrical Service

If you’re like a lot of people in older homes, it is likely that the electrical service is under-rated for the demands of a modern home and the electric appliances they contain. The 60-amp services that were once standard were installed at a time when most heating appliances ran on gas. In today's homes, 100-amp service is regarded as the bare minimum, and even this will be insufficient for larger homes or those that have many electric appliances. A 200-amp service is now common for large homes, and 400-amp service is often installed for very large homes with many electric appliances, such as swimming pool heaters and radiant floor systems.

  • Upgrading to 100-amp service: $850 to $1,600
  • Upgrading to 200-amp service: $1,300 to $2,500
  • Upgrading to 400-amp service: $2,000 to $4,000

When an electrician upgrades the electrical service, the company providing the power will install a new meter, disconnect, entry wires, weather head, and circuit breaker panel. They will not, however, replace any circuit wiring or install any new circuits for this base cost. The electrician will install the meter base.

Rewiring a House

Costs for rewiring a house that has an old installation, such as knob-and-tube wiring, can vary considerably depending on how accessible the wiring is, and on whether other improvements are being made at the same time, such as a main service upgrade or adding new circuits. Rewiring a home where walls need to be opened up to run new cables will cost considerably more than one where cables can easily be run through wall, ceiling, and floor cavities.

Wiring a New House or New Addition

Wiring a new home or new addition is generally slightly cheaper than the costs of rewiring an existing system. This is because the rough-in wiring is done while walls and ceilings are open, making it much easier to run cables.

A fairly accurate estimate of rough-wiring costs can be calculated by determining linear footage of all walls, and multiplying by $8. For example, an average 2,000 square-foot house typically has about 450 linear feet of walls. Note that while these rough-in costs include cable and electrical boxes, they do not include the installation of the devices or light fixtures, which comprise an additional cost.

Wiring a Garage

It's fairly common for an old garage to be without electrical service altogether, but the 2017 update to the NEC (National Electrical Code) requires that a garage be served by at least one 20-amp circuit with at least one GFCI-protected duplex receptacle near each vehicle bay. This circuit cannot serve outlets on the exterior of the garage.

Generally speaking, you are not required to update an existing garage to meet new code requirements, but you may want to do so in order to comply with code. And it can be a selling feature if you are planning to sell your home.

Costs for this work can vary depending on the complexity of the work. For example, if the garage is detached, requiring an underground feeder cable delivering a new circuit, the cost will be considerably more than if you are simply extending wiring to an attached garage. Or, if you are installing 240-volt receptacles for recharging an electric car, the costs will be more.

Costs for adding circuits to a garage range from $1,200 to $2,500, with the high end of the range representing detached garages where an underground feeder cable must be buried beneath ground running from the main service panel to the garage.

Wiring a Basement

Finishing a basement is a very common home remodeling project, and part of this work involves adding one or more electrical circuits, wall outlets, and light fixtures. Typical costs for wiring a 1,000 square-foot basement area runs from $800 to $1,500, depending on the number of recess lights and bedrooms in basement. The lower price range is for large open spaces; the higher costs are for basements that are subdivided into separate rooms. Costs can go up if an electrical sub-panel is required, or if your basement will have elaborate multimedia wiring.

This cost involves running cable, installing boxes, and making connections. Costs of light fixtures and other devices are additional.

Electrician Costs by Experience

The average cost of an electrician varies widely depending on their experience. While an Apprentice is significantly less expensive, they have to work under the direct supervision of another electrician. A Master Electrician brings years of experience and certification to your project.

 Level of Experience Average Cost Per Hour
 Apprentice $40-$55
 Journeyman $55-$85 
 Master Electrician $90-$150

Electrician Costs by Home Size

A rewiring job includes removing as much outdated wiring as possible and running new NM cable and connecting it to existing devices and breakers. Costs will increase if you are also replacing fixtures and devices or updating the main service.

Size of Home Average Cost
1,000-square-foot home $2,700 ($1,600 to $3,800) 
1,200-square-foot home  $3,200 ($1,900 to $4,500) 
1,500-square-foot home  $3,900 ($2,300 to $5,600) 
2,000-square-foot home  $5,400 ($3,200 to $7,600) 
2,500-square-foot home  $6,600 ($3,900 to $9,400)
3,000-square-foot home  $8,100 ($4,800 to $11,400)

Additional Factors That Affect Electrician Cost

In addition to the years of experience of the electrician and the size of the home, there are other considerations that can affect the cost. Those include the complexity of the project, including the age of the current electrical and what must be done to bring it up to code, location and labor costs, and permits that need to be pulled.

FAQ
  • How much do most electricians charge per hour?

    How much an electrician charges per hour depends on their level of experience and other factors. Typically, you will find most electricians charge between $40 and $150 an hour.

  • How do you calculate electrical labor cost?

    To calculate electrical labor costs, multiply the hourly rate times the number of hours required for the project. However, other factors could increase this cost, including complexity and electrical changes necessary to bring the project up to code.

  • Can you negotiate a price with an electrician?

    Electricians are skilled professionals who set their rates accordingly, however, you could offer to buy the parts yourself if you believe you will get a better deal.

  • Is it common to tip an electrician?

    Typically, you do not tip an electrician. However, a review is always appreciated!

  • How long does it take to wire a house?

    Wiring a new house could be as quick as three days, while wiring an older home will take at least a week.

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  1. How Much Does It Cost To Upgrade Or Replace An Electrical Panel?. HomeGuide.

  2. How Much Does It Cost To Wire or Rewire a House?. HomeGuide.