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King County · Electrician
Electrician prevailing wage in King County, Washington
$114.21an hour, total
$77.93 wage + $36.28 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in King County, an electrician must be paid at least $114.21 an hour in total: $77.93 in wages plus $36.28 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect September 2, 2026.
L&I published this rate on August 3, 2026 and it took effect September 2, 2026. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.
L&I lists 7 commercial electrician rates for King County, from $56.78 to $131.06 an hour. See all of them.
L&I also sets a residential electrician rate in King County: $48.80 an hour. It applies only to the residential projects L&I defines. Residential rates and when they apply.
Base wage and fringe: $77.93 + $36.28
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) | $77.93 |
| Health and welfare | $15.50 |
| Pension | $19.79 |
| Training | $0.99 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $114.21 |
Set from: collective bargaining agreement, Labor Agreement between Local Union No.46 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Puget Sound Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association. 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 King 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 $109.44 ($75.96 base + $33.48 fringe), from WA20260108 modification 1, published May 18, 2026, rate ELEC0046-003. Against L&I's $114.21: L&I's rate is $4.77 an hour higher.
For highway work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is ELECTRICIAN (CALLAM, JEFFERSON, KING AND KITSAP COUNTIES) at $109.44 ($75.96 base + $33.48 fringe), from WA20260001 modification 4, published June 16, 2026, rate ELEC0046-001. Against L&I's $114.21: L&I's rate is $4.77 an hour higher.
For heavy work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is ELECTRICIAN at $109.44 ($75.96 base + $33.48 fringe), from WA20260125 modification 1, published May 18, 2026, rate ELEC0046-002. Against L&I's $114.21: L&I's rate is $4.77 an hour higher.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | ELECTRICIANELEC0046-003 | $109.44 | $75.96 | WA20260108 Mod 1 |
| Highway | ELECTRICIAN (CALLAM, JEFFERSON, KING AND KITSAP COUNTIES)ELEC0046-001 | $109.44 | $75.96 | WA20260001 Mod 4 |
| Heavy | ELECTRICIANELEC0046-002 | $109.44 | $75.96 | WA20260125 Mod 1 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIANSUWA2011-011 | $46.32 | $35.14 | WA20260091 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 7C:
Holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (8). Any holiday which falls on a Sunday shall be observed as a holiday on the following Monday. Any holiday which falls on a Saturday shall be observed as a holiday on the preceding Friday.
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 August 3, 2026 and took effect September 2, 2026.
Every electrician rate in King County
As L&I lists them, commercial rates only (residential rates are below). The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Cable Splicer (tunnel)$131.06
- Certified Welder (tunnel)$126.65
- Cable Splicer$122.23
- Journey Level (tunnel)$122.23
- Certified Welder$118.22
- Journey Level$114.21
- Construction Stock Person$56.78
| Classification | Total | Base | Fringes | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Splicer | $122.23 | $85.72 | $36.51 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Cable Splicer (tunnel) | $131.06 | $94.29 | $36.77 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Certified Welder | $118.22 | $81.83 | $36.39 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Certified Welder (tunnel) | $126.65 | $90.01 | $36.64 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Construction Stock Person | $56.78 | $39.02 | $17.76 | Mar 4, 2026 |
| Journey Level | $114.21 | $77.93 | $36.28 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Journey Level (tunnel) | $122.23 | $85.72 | $36.51 | Sep 2, 2026 |
Residential electrician rates in King 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 | $48.80 | $48.80 | $0.00 | Mar 3, 2021 |
How King 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
- King Countybase $77.93$114.21
- Pierce Countybase $68.36$97.32
- Snohomish Countybase $65.30$98.34
- Kitsap Countybase $77.93$114.21
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 King County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King County | Journey Level | $114.21 | $77.93 | |
| Kitsap County | Journey Level | $114.21 | $77.93 | same |
| Snohomish County | Journey Level | $98.34 | $65.30 | −$15.87 |
| Island County | Journey Level | $98.34 | $65.30 | −$15.87 |
| Chelan County | Journey Level | $98.34 | $65.30 | −$15.87 |
| Pierce County | Journey Level | $97.32 | $68.36 | −$16.89 |
| Kittitas County | Journey Level | $92.05 | $63.00 | −$22.16 |
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 $114.21. 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, King County, Electricians - Inside (ELEC), L&I wage record 149868, published August 3, 2026, effective September 2, 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 King County as CSV · Report an error