What Should I Charge for Electrical? (2026 Contractor Pricing Guide)
Short answer
Residential electricians typically bill $85 to $145 per hour, or price common work by the device, with a standard receptacle or switch install landing around $135 to $255 installed.
Electrical unit prices by work item
Enter a ZIP code to adjust every row to local cost levels. Rates start from a national baseline of 1.00 and scale by the published city cost index for that area.
Showing national baseline rates.
| Work item | Unit | Material | Labor | What to charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Add receptacle or switch (existing wall) Fishing through finished walls is the variable, not the device. | device | $18.00 | $130 | $136 to $253 |
Light fixture install (owner supplied) High ceilings and chandeliers price well above this. | fixture | $12.00 | $115 | $117 to $217 |
Recessed LED can, new Attic access above makes this much faster. | fixture | $42.00 | $145 | $176 to $313 |
New 20A dedicated circuit Panel distance and finished-wall routing dominate. | circuit | $85.00 | $340 | $389 to $723 |
200A panel upgrade Utility coordination and permit are usually separate lines. | panel | $850 | $1,650 | $2,277 to $4,229 |
EV charger circuit and install Run length from panel to garage is the main driver. | install | $320 | $720 | $881 to $1,830 |
Material and labor columns are bare cost per unit before markup. The charge column applies +15% materials, +20% labor, then +10% overhead and profit, and shows a realistic range rather than one false-precision number.
How this number is built
There is no proprietary data feed here and nothing is hidden. Every figure above comes from four visible steps, which is exactly how your own price book should work:
- 1Start from bare material and bare labor cost per unit, at a national baseline.
- 2Multiply both by your local cost factor, from the ZIP table below.
- 3Add markup: 15% on materials, 20% on labor. This covers waste, procurement and supervision.
- 4Add 10% overhead and profit on the marked-up subtotal, then show a range rather than one number.
Regional cost factors
A national average is close to useless on its own. The same electrical job prices very differently across markets. These are the multipliers applied above, against a 1.00 national baseline.
| Metro | Factor | Add receptacle or switch (existing wall) (device) |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 1.38x | $188 to $349 |
| New York, NY | 1.32x | $180 to $334 |
| Boston, MA | 1.24x | $169 to $313 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1.22x | $166 to $308 |
| Seattle, WA | 1.20x | $163 to $303 |
| Chicago, IL | 1.18x | $161 to $298 |
| Washington, DC | 1.15x | $156 to $291 |
| Denver, CO | 1.08x | $147 to $273 |
| Austin, TX | 1.04x | $142 to $263 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 1.02x | $139 to $258 |
| Atlanta, GA | 1.00x | $136 to $253 |
| Houston, TX | 0.98x | $133 to $248 |
Before you send this number to a client
Worth doing
- Walk the actual site before committing to a fixed price.
- Itemize disposal, permits and prep as their own lines.
- Write down what is excluded, not only what is included.
- Compare these rates against your own last three invoices.
Where bids go wrong
- Using a national average as if it were a local quote.
- Forgetting that overhead is a real cost, not profit.
- Absorbing prep and access problems instead of pricing them.
- Quoting from memory when material prices moved.
Frequently asked questions
What should an electrician charge per hour?
Residential electricians commonly bill $85 to $145 per hour for a licensed journeyman in most US markets, with major metros running higher. Many shops have moved to flat-rate pricing per task so the customer sees a fixed number instead of a running clock.
Should I use flat-rate or hourly electrical pricing?
Flat rate wins for common, repeatable work such as devices, fixtures, and fans, because it removes the customer's fear of an open-ended bill and rewards your efficiency. Keep hourly for troubleshooting and old-work surprises where the scope genuinely cannot be known up front.
How much should I charge for a service call minimum?
A $150 to $250 minimum or trip charge is standard, typically covering the first half hour to hour on site. Publish it before you dispatch so it is never a surprise on the invoice.
Other trades
Turn these rates into a sent proposal
A table is a starting point. Describe the job in plain words and Takeoff Convert prices it from your own price book, then produces an itemized proposal your client can e-sign.
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