Teacher vs Electrician Salary
Teachers earn approximately 3.2% more than Electricians nationally — $63,000 vs $61,000.
Teacher vs Electrician: salary breakdown
On a national-median basis, Teachers out-earn Electricians by $2,000 per year — a 3.2% gap. That works out to roughly $167/month or $1/hour of difference.
Important context: these are MEDIANS — the middle salary in the country. Real-world variation is wide: entry-level roles in either career may pay 25-35% below median, while senior roles or specialized niches can pay 50-100%+ above. Your specific numbers depend on experience, location, employer, and credentials.
When does the salary gap matter most?
For someone choosing between these careers, the $2,000 annual difference compounds:
- Over 10 years: ~$20,000 in raw salary difference
- Over 40 years: ~$80,000 (without raises or compounding)
- With 3% annual raises: the gap typically grows because the higher-paid role's raises are also larger in dollar terms
- With investment compounding: the $2,000/year extra invested at 7% over 40 years grows to roughly $398,000 — significantly more than the raw difference
But salary isn't everything. Job satisfaction, work-life balance, growth potential, and career switching costs all matter. A career you can sustain for decades beats a higher-paying one you'll burn out on.
By state and city — significant variation
National medians are starting points. Real salaries vary 30%+ by location:
- Teacher in California ≈ $74,340 (1.18× national)
- Teacher in Mississippi ≈ $52,920 (0.84× national)
- Electrician in California ≈ $71,980
- Electrician in Mississippi ≈ $51,240
Use our Teacher salary by state pages to drill into specific locations.
Other comparisons in Education
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Related tools
Teacher salary by state — Electrician salary by state — Best cities for Teacher — Best cities for Electrician — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.