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Cowlitz County · Electrician
Electrician prevailing wage in Cowlitz County, Washington
$99.74an hour, total
$65.50 wage + $34.24 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in Cowlitz County, an electrician must be paid at least $99.74 an hour in total: $65.50 in wages plus $34.24 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect March 4, 2026.
L&I published this rate on February 2, 2026 and it took effect March 4, 2026. L&I hasn't changed it since, so it is still current in period 2026-2. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.
L&I lists 2 commercial electrician rates for Cowlitz County, from $99.74 to $106.48 an hour. See all of them.
L&I also sets a residential electrician rate in Cowlitz County: $30.53 an hour. It applies only to the residential projects L&I defines. Residential rates and when they apply.
Base wage and fringe: $65.50 + $34.24
The wage is the taxable hourly rate. The other lines are what Washington law calls "usual benefits": contributions to health, pension, vacation and holiday, apprenticeship and similar plans. A contractor that doesn't provide a benefit pays its value as wages instead (RCW 39.12.010).
| Base wage (taxable) | $65.50 |
| Health and welfare | $13.75 |
| Pension | $19.49 |
| Training | $0.80 |
| Other benefits | $0.20 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $99.74 |
Set from: collective bargaining agreement, Commercial/Industrial Agreement between The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers—Local 48 & The National Electrical Contractors Association— Oregon-Columbia Chapter. Where a county has a collective bargaining agreement, L&I adopts its wage and benefits; with more than one, the higher rate prevails. Otherwise L&I uses wage surveys (RCW 39.12.015).
Davis-Bacon electrician rate in Cowlitz County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.
For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is ELECTRICIAN at $84.62 ($57.80 base + $26.82 fringe), from WA20260105 modification 1, published May 18, 2026, rate UAVGWA0003. Against L&I's $99.74: L&I's rate is $15.12 an hour higher.
For highway work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is ELECTRICIAN (COWLITZ AND WAHKIAKUM COUNTY) at $93.23 ($63.50 base + $29.73 fringe), from WA20260001 modification 4, published June 16, 2026, rate ELEC0048-029. Against L&I's $99.74: L&I's rate is $6.51 an hour higher.
For heavy work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is ELECTRICIAN at $87.78 ($60.00 base + $27.78 fringe), from WA20260123 modification 1, published May 18, 2026, rate ELEC0112-010. Against L&I's $99.74: L&I's rate is $11.96 an hour higher.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | ELECTRICIANUAVGWA0003 | $84.62 | $57.80 | WA20260105 Mod 1 |
| Highway | ELECTRICIAN (COWLITZ AND WAHKIAKUM COUNTY)ELEC0048-029 | $93.23 | $63.50 | WA20260001 Mod 4 |
| Heavy | ELECTRICIANELEC0112-010 | $87.78 | $60.00 | WA20260123 Mod 1 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIANSUWA2011-009 | $51.74 | $35.16 | WA20260089 Mod 1 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Washington Davis-Bacon changes
Holidays
L&I holiday code 5A:
Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (7).
When this rate changes
- Rates lock at the bid date. A project uses “the rates that are in effect on the date when bids by prime contractors are due”, and they stay for the life of the contract. If the contract isn't awarded within six months of the bid date, the award-date rates apply. Contracts without bids use the date they're signed (WAC 296-127-011).
- L&I publishes on the first business day of February and August, and rates take effect 30 days later. Corrections can be published at any time and also take effect 30 days later (WAC 296-127-011(1); L&I publications and corrections). L&I's next set is due February 1, 2027, effective March 3, 2027.
- L&I doesn't republish every rate each period. A rate stays until L&I changes it, so each one has its own date. This one was published February 2, 2026 and took effect March 4, 2026.
Every electrician rate in Cowlitz County
As L&I lists them, commercial rates only (residential rates are below). The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
| Classification | Total | Base | Fringes | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey Level | $99.74 | $65.50 | $34.24 | Mar 4, 2026 |
| Journeyman, Welder | $106.48 | $72.05 | $34.43 | Mar 4, 2026 |
Residential electrician rates in Cowlitz County
Residential rates apply only to construction, alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, condominiums and other residential buildings no more than four stories tall (basement included), and only for affordable housing (including permanent supportive and transitional housing), weatherization or rehabilitation of low-income homes, and homeless and domestic-violence shelters. Utilities, streets and structures unrelated to the housing use commercial rates. (WAC 296-127-010(9))
| Classification | Total | Base | Fringes | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Electricians: Journey Level | $30.53 | $30.53 | $0.00 | Jun 3, 2019 |
How Cowlitz County compares
The main electrician rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Washington
Wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Cowlitz Countybase $65.50$99.74
- Clark Countybase $65.50$99.74
- Lewis Countybase $68.36$97.32
- Wahkiakum Countybase $65.50$99.74
Electrician rates in nearby counties
Current L&I rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The statute defines “locality” as “the largest city in the county wherein the physical work is being performed”, and L&I publishes rates county by county (RCW 39.12.010).
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Cowlitz County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowlitz County | Journey Level | $99.74 | $65.50 | |
| Clark County | Journey Level | $99.74 | $65.50 | same |
| Wahkiakum County | Journey Level | $99.74 | $65.50 | same |
| Skamania County | Journey Level | $99.74 | $65.50 | same |
| Lewis County | Journey Level | $97.32 | $68.36 | −$2.42 |
| Thurston County | Journey Level | $97.32 | $68.36 | −$2.42 |
| Pacific County | Journey Level | $97.32 | $68.36 | −$2.42 |
Washington electrician prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01323: which tasks this trade covers. L&I says the right classification “depends upon determinations published by L&I” (L&I).
- L&I's prevailing wage lookup, for any county, trade and bid date
- Apprentices: registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade. Anyone without a registered agreement counts as a journey-level worker (RCW 39.12.021).
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $99.74. Each contractor files an L&I-approved Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages before it's paid, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid when the job is accepted (RCW 39.12.040). On contracts over $10,000 the approved intent and L&I's contact details are posted on the job site (RCW 39.12.020).
Source
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, prevailing wage lookup, Cowlitz County, Electricians - Inside (ELEC), L&I wage record 149281, published February 2, 2026, effective March 4, 2026: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/
Each figure comes from L&I's lookup and is checked against L&I's CSV export and a second, separate query. How we check · Download Cowlitz County as CSV · Report an error