Local market data · Electricians · Chicago
AI for electricians in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 2,100 electricians in 2022, the 3rd most of 387 US metros and 3% of all in the country. They employed 22,636 people at an average of $91,085 a year. 80% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
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Electricians in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 2,100 | 81,842 |
| People employed | 22,636 | 951,773 |
| Average staff per business | 10.8 | 11.6 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $91,085 | $71,880 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 80% | 77% |
Pay here is 27% higher than the national average for electricians, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average electrical contractor here has 10.8 people on payroll, 7% lower than the US figure of 11.6.
How big electricians in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Electricians by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 1,013 of the metro's 2,100 (48%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 2nd for average pay and 5th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 1,013 | 10,702 | $91,030 |
| DuPage County | 290 | 3,975 | $93,841 |
| Lake County | 187 | 2,560 | $101,254 |
| Will County | 155 | 867 | $87,940 |
| Kane County | 147 | 1,917 | $88,140 |
| McHenry County | 106 | 565 | $83,966 |
| Lake County | 72 | 1,287 | $82,089 |
| Porter County | 38 | 208 | $61,159 |
| Kendall County | 37 | 159 | $82,302 |
| DeKalb County | 27 | 190 | $77,642 |
| Grundy County | 14 | 128 | $95,156 |
| Jasper County | 10 | 52 | $62,788 |
1 smaller counties not shown. Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a electrical contractor first
An electrician should automate the phone and the estimate follow-up first, because both lose work quietly while you are inside a panel. Permit tracking and job notes come next. AI sorts calls and drafts messages, but safety, code and the final scope of work stay with a licensed person.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$193,600 a year
The share you would hand off$58,080 a year
Hours your team gets back1,320 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for electricians, one job each
- Get more customers for electricians
- Never miss a call for electricians
- Follow up automatically for electricians
- Booking and scheduling for electricians
- More reviews for electricians
- Marketing and content for electricians
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for electricians
- Cut admin and paperwork for electricians
- A dashboard that runs itself for electricians
Electricians in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3,184 | $79,935 | 2nd |
| New York | 5,795 | $81,369 | 1st |
| Miami | 2,023 | $63,925 | 4th |
| Dallas | 1,598 | $68,482 | 6th |
| Houston | 1,264 | $72,066 | 9th |
| Atlanta | 1,449 | $66,494 | 8th |
| Washington | 1,074 | $78,667 | 13th |
| Philadelphia | 1,526 | $83,475 | 7th |
| Boston | 1,789 | $92,181 | 5th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 238210 (Electrical contractors), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your electrical business can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your electrical contractor to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.