Becoming an electrician in Kentucky

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1 paid apprenticeship and 1 school program are listed here.

Jump to: License · Training · Pay

Licensing
Statewide worker license
Time to qualify
8,000 hours on the standard route; other routes can differ
Median pay
$59,720 $28.71 an hour
Outlook
1,020 openings a year, projected · 3.9% growth, 2024–2034

Do I need a license?

Yes. Kentucky licenses electricians statewide. The journeyman-level credential is the Kentucky Electrician License, issued by the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. Its standard route requires 8,000 hours of experience; other routes can differ. Source: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, checked . Standard-route hours: Kentucky Revised Statutes 227A.060.

Your path, step by step

  1. Kentucky Electrician License

    Experience
    8,000 hours
    Classroom
    Not stated
    Exam
    Required

    Source: Kentucky Revised Statutes 227A.060 (Qualifications for licensure) · Find a paid apprenticeship in Kentucky

  2. Kentucky Master Electrician License

    Experience
    16,000 hours
    Classroom
    Not stated
    Exam
    Required
    Holding the previous license
    Not stated

    Source: Kentucky Revised Statutes 227A.060 (Qualifications for licensure)

Each step lists what its official source states for that license. Hours aren't added up across steps; a step says whether its hours include earlier steps' only where its source does. "Not stated" means the source doesn't give it. Checked .

Full Kentucky licensing requirements · 2 more licenses · How licensing works

How do I train?

Apprenticeships pay you while you learn. Schools teach first, then you find work. Which is right for me?

Paid apprenticeships 1

Kentucky apprenticeships (1)

School programs 1

Kentucky schools (1)

What does it pay?

What the work pays here, and how to decide.

Electricians in Kentucky earn a median of $59,720 a year ($28.71 an hour), according to BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates. That is about 5.5% below the national median of $63,190. About one in ten electricians here earns under $37,110 a year and about one in ten over $85,260.

Employment is projected to grow 3.9% over 2024–2034, with about 1,020 openings a year.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS · Projections Central · Kentucky salary details

Nearby states: Illinois 3 · Indiana 2 · Missouri 3 · Ohio 3 · Tennessee 2 · Virginia 2 · West Virginia 1

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