IBEW Local 46 pay scale (Seattle)
Journeyman inside wiremen under IBEW Local 46 in Seattle and King County, WA are paid $76.95 an hour in base wages plus $35.01 an hour in employer-paid fringe, a total package of $111.96, under the Inside Wireman wage sheet (IBEW 46 / NECA) effective February 2, 2026. The apprenticeship runs 4 years over 6 pay periods, starting at 42% of journeyman base.
Key figures
- Journeyman base
- $76.95 an hour [WA L&I]
- Employer fringe
- $35.01 an hour [same record]
- Total package
- $111.96 an hour
- Annual base at 2,000 hours
- $153,900 ($223,920 with package) [2,000 hours is an assumption]
- Agreement in effect
- February 2, 2026 to August 2, 2026 [Inside Wireman wage sheet (IBEW 46 / NECA)]
- Apprentice ladder
- 6 periods, 48 months (4 years) [IBEW Local 46]
- License
- 8,000 hours, $195 in fees (WA) [WA L&I]
Journeyman wage
| Local | Base | Fringe | Package | Annual base (2,000 hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 46 Seattle and King County, WA | $76.95 | $35.01 | $111.96 | $153,900 |
WA L&I, WA L&I prevailing wage, King County, Electricians-Inside (ELEC) Journey Level, base wage_amt $76.95, effective 2026-03-04 (publish 2026-0.... Fringe from the same record.
Apprentice pay ladder
| Period | Months | Percent of base | Hourly | Full year at this step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 46 period 1 | 6 | 42% | $32.32 | $64,638 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 2 | 6 | 47% | $36.17 | $72,333 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 3 | 9 | 52% | $40.01 | $80,028 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 4 | 9 | 65% | $50.02 | $100,035 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 5 | 9 | 75% | $57.71 | $115,425 |
| IBEW Local 46 period 6 | 9 | 85% | $65.41 | $130,815 |
IBEW Local 46, apprentice wage schedule, effective February 2, 2026.
Pay by apprentice year
A year that straddles two periods is blended by the month, so this is what a first-year or third-year apprentice banks before overtime. The rate at any single step is in the ladder above.
| Apprentice year | Blended percent of base | Cash wages |
|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 46 apprentice year 1 | 44.5% | $68,486 |
| IBEW Local 46 apprentice year 2 | 55.3% | $85,030 |
| IBEW Local 46 apprentice year 3 | 70% | $107,730 |
| IBEW Local 46 apprentice year 4 | 82.5% | $126,968 |
Non-union market range
The union figure above is a contract rate. For contrast, the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 survey of all electrician employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area reports these hourly percentiles, union and open-shop combined.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual (2,000 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle electricians, 10th percentile | $26.77 | $53,540 |
| Seattle electricians, 25th percentile | $36.35 | $72,700 |
| Seattle electricians, 50th (median) percentile | $48.93 | $97,860 |
| Seattle electricians, 75th percentile | $60.55 | $121,100 |
| Seattle electricians, 90th percentile | $72.74 | $145,480 |
BLS OEWS 2025, via the public data API.
License and time to journeyman
The state requires 8,000 supervised hours before the journeyman exam, and the exam and application fees total $195. The license and the ladder line up: 48 months of apprenticeship covers the required hours.
WA journey-level electrician (EL01): 8,000 supervised trainee hours (>=4,000 non-specialty) + 96 hours Basic Classroom Instruction, then a NEC-based exam. Cost ~$195 ($114.60 application bundling the original certificate + ~$80.30 exam sit-fee when L&I-administered; the usual testing-contractor fee is contract-set). Renewal $92.60-106.40 every 3 years + 24 hrs CE. After 2026-07-01 only registered-apprenticeship completers may sit the 01 exam. Source: WAC 296-46B-909 (eff 2026-07-01).
What the switch costs in Seattle, from a desk job
Enter your current salary. The table shows cash wages only, year by year, against staying put. Benefits are listed separately and never enter break-even, and the business-ownership line is a scenario range, so neither can hide the real cash hole.
- Deepest hole
- cumulative cash, by year
- Break-even
- on cash wages against staying put
- Journeyman base
The line items break-even leaves out
| Licensing and exam fees (year 1, counted in break-even) | |
| Benefits against your current coverage (per year; outside break-even); ; | |
| Year | Stay | Switch (cash) | Costs | Difference | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Break-even and the hole ride cash wages plus one-time licensing only. Union rates are prevailing-wage or wage-sheet figures at 2,000 paid hours a year, which is an assumption; actual hours vary. See the methodology page for the per-number audit trail. Methodology.
Related
- IBEW Local 595 pay scale (Bay Area) $76.00 base, $126.52 package
- IBEW Local 103 pay scale (Boston) $66.86 base, $112.61 package
- IBEW Local 3 pay scale (New York City) $64.00 base, $129.24 package
- Electrician apprentice pay by year all four ladders side by side
- Journeyman electrician salary by metro base, fringe and package compared
- How long it takes to become an electrician ladder and license timelines
- Methodology where each number comes from
Questions people ask
- What does a first-year apprentice at IBEW Local 46 make?
- About $68,486 in cash wages over the first year, blended across the 42% and 47% steps, at 2,000 paid hours. Health coverage starts on day one; the local pension ramps in later.
- How much does a IBEW Local 46 journeyman make a year?
- $153,900 in base wages at 2,000 hours, or $223,920 counting the employer-paid package. Overtime, foreman rates and travel are on top and are not in that figure.
- How long is the IBEW Local 46 apprenticeship?
- 48 months across 6 pay periods, which is 4 years at full-time hours. The state requires 8,000 supervised hours before the journeyman exam, and the exam and application fees total $195. The license and the ladder line up: 48 months of apprenticeship covers the required hours.
- Is it worth switching from a $110,000 desk job to an electrician in Seattle?
- With a six-month wait to get in and 3% raises at the desk job, the switch is -$82,589 behind on cash wages by year 4 and breaks even in year 8, before benefits and before any overtime. Run your own salary in the calculator above.