Open

Electrician · Texas

Electrician programs in Texas

In Texas, a first-year electrician can be on a Gulf Coast paycheck — or paying tuition with nothing coming in.

Tuition on the school path is real money. First-year pay on the apprenticeship path is a paycheck. Seats are not guaranteed on either side.

Electrician in the United States

Updated Apr 2026

Houston Electrical JATC · IBEW Local 716 — $16–$21/hr

First-year percentage of Houston inside-wireman scale · Apr 2026

Year one in Texas

One paid path and one school path. The full list is below.

Paid training · listed first

Houston Electrical JATC (IBEW 716)

IBEW Local 716 / NECA · Houston

Tuition: $0
First-year wage: $16–$20/hr

You pay · no paycheck in class

Texas State Technical College — Electrical Lineworker / Electrician

TSTC · Multiple TSTC campuses

Tuition: $8,000–$15,000
First-year wage: $0 during school

All programs on this page

Houston Electrical JATC (IBEW 716)

ApprenticeshipSeats: Unknown

Tuition / net cost

No tuition. Related instruction included.

First-year wage

$16–$20/hr

Percentage of Houston inside-wireman scale.

Term

4–5 years · 8,000 hours

Texas electrician median roughly $58k–$61k

IBEW Local 716 / NECA·Houston

Source: Local 716 / Texas electrical licensing notes (2026-03)

Austin Electrical JATC (IBEW 520)

ApprenticeshipSeats: Unknown

Tuition / net cost

Paid OJT. Classroom included.

First-year wage

$17–$21/hr

Austin scale sits above many Texas metros.

Term

5 years

Steps to local journeyman package

IBEW Local 520·Austin

Source: IBEW 520 public apprenticeship information (2026-04)

Texas State Technical College — Electrical Lineworker / Electrician

Trade schoolSeats: Open

Tuition / net cost

$8,000–$15,000

In-state technical-college range before tools and housing.

First-year wage

$0 during school

Classroom-first. Lineworker grads often start $20–$28/hr.

Term

9–16 months

Texas electrician median ~$58k–$61k

TSTC·Multiple TSTC campuses

Source: TSTC published tuition and program pages (2026-02)

Private Texas electrical career school

Trade schoolSeats: Open

Tuition / net cost

$14,000–$24,000

Published tuition before aid. Kits extra.

First-year wage

$0 during school

Unpaid training. Verify completion and placement rates yourself.

Term

7–12 months

Not consistently reported

Private career colleges (composite)·Dallas / Houston / San Antonio

Source: Published catalogs (composite) (2026-03)

Other electrician states

Get electrician numbers for another state

We only write when new year-one numbers go up.