Electricians in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$52,176
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$12,634
19.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$58,120
West Virginia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in West Virginia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$64,810
Kept after tax
$52,176
Worth in national money
$58,120
State rank
26
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- West Virginia sits in the middle of the pack for electricians. The median is $64,810, ranking 26 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 473 occupations West Virginia reports figures for, this is number 138.
- West Virginia is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $64,810 the take-home is $52,176; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $58,120 would nationally. The average comes to $67,840, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- West Virginia occupies the middle band for electricians: a median of $64,810, ranking 26 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In West Virginia's occupational distribution, electricians sits at 138 of 473 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for electricians in West Virginia, on $64,810, is $52,176 — equivalent to $58,120 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $67,840 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Electricians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $43,620 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $64,810 |
| Top tenth earn over | $95,140 |
| This salary | $64,810 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in West Virginia | $52,176 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $54,255 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,288 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $62,222 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,920 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in West Virginia earn less than $64,810. The published range is $43,620 up to $95,140, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In West Virginia the take-home figure of $52,176, from $64,810, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 138 of 473 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of West Virginia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $58,120, the adjusted value of that $64,810 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 138 of 473 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for electricians in West Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $43,620 to $95,140. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for West Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $52,176 from $64,810. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 138 of 473 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for West Virginia, so $58,120 — the adjusted value of that $64,810 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 138 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $67,840 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $43,620 at the bottom tenth to $95,140 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. West Virginia is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $58,120 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and West Virginia's own levy, $52,176 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in West Virginia is $67,840. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($43,620) and the ninetieth ($95,140) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
West Virginia's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $58,120 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $52,176 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and West Virginia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.