How to Use This Calculator
Five inputs, three outputs. Move the sliders to match your real business, not the one you wish you had.
Desired annual take-home is the money you actually want in your pocket after a year. Not gross revenue. Not what the business earns. What you pay yourself. For most solo residential electricians in Florida, this lands between $75,000 and $120,000.
Overhead is every recurring business expense before profit. Truck, fuel, commercial auto insurance, general liability, tools, phone, software, licensing, and the home-office slice of your personal bills. Dedicated contractors in Florida run $20,000-$40,000/year. Use the honest number, not the tax-deduction number.
Billable hours per week is the honest number here. Most electricians think they bill 40 and actually bill 25-32. Travel, estimates, material pickups, admin work, and no-show jobs eat the rest. Default is 30. Weeks worked per year accounts for vacation, sick days, and slow weeks. 48 is realistic.
Profit margin is what you want the business itself to make above labor and overhead. 15% is a defensible baseline. 20-25% is what healthy contracting businesses target. The higher the margin, the more cash stays in the business for growth, hiring, and slow seasons.
The big box on the right is your minimum hourly rate. The smaller box below shows break-even — the rate that covers labor and overhead with zero profit. If you're charging below break-even, you're paying for the privilege of doing the work.
What Electricians Actually Charge Per Hour in 2026
Hourly rates for electricians swing widely by market, specialty, and how the work is priced. Industry data from HomeAdvisor, Angi, and direct contractor surveys in 2025 and 2026 shows a clear picture across the U.S.
National average for a residential service call runs $50-$130/hour for standard labor, with most licensed electricians in the $85-$120/hour range. Journeyman rates sit lower than master rates, and rural markets run 20-30% below metro rates.
By region in 2026:
- Florida (statewide): $85-$140/hour residential, higher for specialty work. Volusia County, Daytona Beach, and Port Orange average $85-$110. Orlando, Tampa, and Miami push $110-$140.
- Texas: $75-$125/hour residential, with Austin and Dallas on the higher end.
- California: $110-$180/hour — among the highest in the country due to cost of living and licensing complexity.
- New York: $125-$200/hour in NYC and surrounding metros, lower upstate.
- National average: roughly $95/hour for residential service work.
Emergency, after-hours, and weekend work usually commands a $50-$125 premium on top of standard rates. EV charger installations, solar tie-ins, and commercial work are commonly quoted as fixed-price jobs rather than hourly.
If you're in Florida and your calculated minimum rate comes out below $85/hour, the math is telling you something: either your take-home goal is too low, your billable hours estimate is too high, or you're under-accounting overhead. Or some combination of all three.
Why Most Electricians Underprice
After years of watching electricians I worked with underprice jobs, the pattern is always the same. It comes down to four specific mistakes.
1. Pricing by what the last guy charged. Most contractors pick a rate that “sounds right” based on what someone else in their market bills. That rate was probably set by another electrician who underpriced — and now the whole market drifts low together. Running your own numbers breaks that pattern.
2. Ignoring unbillable time. The hours you spend driving between jobs, running to the supply house, writing estimates, and chasing paperwork aren't billable. Electricians who think they bill 40 hours/week typically bill 25-32. When you price assuming 40, you're underpricing by 25-35%.
3. Under-counting overhead. Truck payment and insurance are easy to see. Software subscriptions, licensing renewals, tool depreciation, phone bills, and the home-office slice of your utilities are easy to miss. Real overhead for a solo Florida electrician is almost always $25K+ per year.
4. Forgetting profit. Pay yourself a salary AND leave profit in the business. If you're only covering labor + overhead, the business can't handle a slow month, a broken truck, or your first hire. Profit is what makes the business sustainable, not a luxury.
Run the calculator above with honest inputs. If your minimum rate comes out higher than what you're currently charging, that gap is what's burning you out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge per hour as an electrician in 2026?
Rates vary heavily by region and specialty, but a useful floor for a solo licensed electrician in most U.S. markets is $95-$125/hour for standard residential service. Established shops with overhead often run $150-$200/hour. Emergency and after-hours work commonly adds $50-$100/hour. The calculator above lets you run your own numbers based on your take-home goal instead of relying on averages.
What's the average electrician hourly rate in Florida?
In 2026, residential electricians in Florida typically charge $85-$140/hour for standard service work. Volusia County, Daytona Beach, and Port Orange contractors generally run $85-$110/hour. Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami push higher at $110-$140/hour. Commercial work and panel upgrades are usually quoted as fixed-price jobs rather than straight hourly.
How do I calculate my overhead as a solo electrician?
Add up every recurring business expense you pay before you do any work: truck payment, fuel, commercial auto insurance, general liability insurance, phone, software, licensing, bonding, tools amortized, marketing, and a slice of home-office expenses. A typical solo electrician in Florida runs $20,000-$35,000/year in overhead. Divide that by your projected billable hours to get your per-hour overhead allocation.
Should an apprentice charge a different rate than a journeyman?
Yes. Apprentices working under a master electrician typically bill out at roughly 50-65% of the journeyman or master rate. If a master electrician in your market charges $110/hour, apprentice time is often billed at $55-$75/hour. Rolled into a flat-rate quote, this is invisible to the customer. As you progress through apprentice, journeyman, and master credentials, your rate should climb accordingly.
How often should I raise my rates?
At minimum, once per year to cover inflation — labor and insurance costs have both risen 6-10% annually in Florida through 2024 and 2025. Beyond that, raise rates any time you add a new certification, take on more specialized work (EV chargers, solar, panel upgrades), or your booking calendar is consistently full 2+ weeks out. Full calendars are the clearest signal that the market will pay more than you're currently charging.
Related Reading
- What 60-Hour Weeks in the Trades Taught Me — why busy is not profitable, and how most electricians get pricing wrong.
- Word-of-Mouth Has a Ceiling — why referrals alone won't get you past $500K.
- Missed Call Revenue Calculator — see how much you lose from unanswered calls every year.