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Licensed electricians in Catawba County, NC, Greater Hickory Metro Area: Workforce, Wages & Demand

Licensed supply, credential mix, wages and demand outlook for electricians in Catawba County, NC, updated nightly from the state register and BLS.

Catawba County, NC carries 53 licensed electricians and a median wage of $53,730/yr ($25.83/hr).

53
licensed electricians
$53,730
median annual wage (BLS OEWS, metro area)
79
construction demand index

See where electricians earn more near you

A free report on your market: what the trade pays here, where your credential sits against the local licensed workforce, and the nearby counties that pay more, with the difference and the distance. No account needed.

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How the pay compares

This county sits at the 6th percentile nationally for electricians pay, below the median US county. Average weekly wages across the county's construction trades rose 1.1% year over year (BLS QCEW).

Where electricians earn more near Catawba County

Counties within 150 miles whose published median for this occupation is higher than Catawba County's. Medians from the same BLS OEWS series shown above, not offers, and pay is only one reason to move.

CountyMedianDifferenceDistance
Mercer County, WV$64,810+$11,080120 mi
McDowell County, WV$64,810+$11,080121 mi
Wyoming County, WV$64,810+$11,080135 mi
Monroe County, WV$64,810+$11,080136 mi
Summers County, WV$64,810+$11,080139 mi

Licensed workforce by level

Journeyman48
Contractor4

Licensed Electrician contractors near Catawba County

Active, licensed firms and master-tier individuals on the NC register.

NameTier
Mgb1 LLCContractor
Nantz Electrical SolutionsContractor
Nd Hudson LLCContractor
Top Quality Electric Service IncContractor

Catawba County within the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro

Catawba County holds 38% of the metro area's 140 licensed electricians (the largest electricians pool among its 4 counties), at 3.2 per 10,000 residents against 3.8 metro-wide.

Who entered and left in the last 12 months

Counted from ATI's nightly diff of the NC register itself, over the trailing year. Runs that failed a data-quality gate are excluded, so a scraper outage is never reported as workers leaving.

MovementWorkersWhat it means
New licences issued3People who entered the licensed workforce here.
Licences lapsed4Expired or not renewed. Retirement, relocation or leaving the trade.
Moved up a credential tier0Apprentice to journeyman, journeyman to master, and so on.
Net change-1New licences minus lapsed. Negative means the licensed base shrank.

Who employs electricians here

Employment from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages for the industry this trade sits in; payroll from the Census County Business Patterns. Establishment counts are QCEW where the county is disclosed and an ATI estimate otherwise.

MeasureValueWhat it counts
Employer establishments57Physical business locations in this industry.
Industry employment409Everyone on those payrolls, not only licensed trades.
Annual industry payroll$28MTotal wages paid across those establishments (Census CBP, 2023).

How much work is in Catawba County

County-wide construction activity, across all trades rather than electricians specifically. Each figure names its source and the period it covers.

MeasureValueWhat it means for you
New housing units permitted1,944Last full year, county-wide. 118 per 10,000 residents. Permits lead construction hiring by months, so this is the earliest honest signal of work arriving (Census Building Permits Survey).
Construction employment2,007Everyone working in construction in this county, all trades and office staff. Average pay $1,084 per week. BLS QCEW.
Median year homes were built1985Older stock means more repair, replacement and retrofit work, which is steadier than new build and does not stop in a downturn (Census ACS).
Net migration+883People who moved in minus people who moved out, from IRS address changes. Arrivals need housing, wiring, plumbing and heat.

Density and pipeline

3.2 licensed electricians per 10,000 residents; 14 licensed holders per 100 estimated workers in the trade; 0.8 registered apprentices per 100 estimated workers; 0.2 apprentices per 10,000 residents. A thin pipeline against an ageing licensed base is how a shortage forms years before it shows up in wages.

Common questions

How many licensed electricians are in Catawba County, NC?
Catawba County has 53 licensed electricians on the NC register.
What do electricians earn in Catawba County?
The median annual wage for this occupation in this market is $53,730 ($25.83/hour), per BLS OEWS.
Is this a job board?
No. This page is ATI's own licensed-workforce and market data for this county and trade. Job listings above, where present, are an additive real-time layer, not the page's core content.
Is this page for Hickory specifically?
This page covers all of Catawba County, NC, which is part of the Greater Hickory metro area (the Census-defined metro this county belongs to), so it includes but is not limited to Hickory proper.

License register: 2026-09-17; Wages: 2025-05-31; Demand: 2026-09-17; Apprenticeship: 2025-12-31.

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