Electrical work is one of the few home improvements where doing it wrong can burn the house down. Faulty wiring is responsible for tens of thousands of residential fires every year, which is why every state requires electricians to be licensed. Whether you need a quick outlet replacement or a full panel upgrade for an EV charger, our directory of vetted local electricians makes it easy to compare pros in your area.
The national mean hourly wage for a Electrician in the most recent BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) release is $34.40/hour (SOC 47-2111). Once you add the standard 2.4× contractor markup that covers vehicle, insurance, overhead, and owner profit, the typical service rack rate works out to ~$83/hour nationally — meaningfully higher in California, Hawaii, and the Northeast, lower across the South and Midwest.
| Project | Time | Typical cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard service call (diagnosis + minor repair) | 1–2 hours | $174 | $143 – $209 |
| Add a new outlet (15–20 amp, dedicated) | 1–3 hours | $200 | $164 – $240 |
| Ceiling fan install (existing wiring) | 1–2 hours | $190 | $156 – $228 |
| Panel upgrade (100A → 200A, includes permit) | 1 day | $1,926 | $1,579 – $2,311 |
| Level 2 EV charger install (50A circuit, hardwired) | 4–6 hours | $763 | $625 – $915 |
| Single room rewire (avg ~3 outlets + 1 fixture) | 1 day | $715 | $587 – $858 |
| Whole-house rewire (1500–2000 sq ft) | 5–10 days | $6,628 | $5,435 – $7,954 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2024 (47-2152, 47-2111, 49-9021, 47-2061), MERIC State Cost of Living Index 2024, NAHB Construction Cost Survey 2024.
A licensed electrician handles anything attached to the breaker panel or carrying line voltage (120V/240V). A standard residential service call begins with the panel: the electrician verifies the main breaker rating, looks for double-tapped breakers, checks for AFCI/GFCI compliance in the right rooms, and tests for proper grounding at the service drop. Outlet, switch, and fixture work is straightforward. Panel upgrades, sub-panel adds, EV-charger installs, and whole-house rewires require a permit, a load calculation (NEC Article 220), and an inspection by the local AHJ before the panel is energized.
Cash-only quotes, "I can do it without a permit so it's cheaper," and any pressure to upsize a panel without a written load calculation explaining why.
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Cost figures above are national medians. Tap any city to see the rate for that metro, anchored on local BLS OEWS wage data and a state cost-of-living adjustment.