Free Trade Career Tool
Apprentice Wage Progression Calculator
Apprentice pay is a percentage of local journeyman scale that steps up every 1,000 hours — not a flat rate. Pick your trade, state, and period to see what you earn now, at every step ahead, and across the whole apprenticeship.
Built by SubcontractorHub — the software contractors use to quote, finance, and run every job.
Standard IBEW/NECA and IEC/ABC programs run ~8,000 hours across 8 periods.
Texas journeyman median: $58,570 ($28.16/hr)
Each period is 1,000 hours — about 6 months full-time
Paid at 1.5× your current apprentice rate
Pay at period 1 in Texas
$26,357
$12.67/hr · 45% of journeyman scale
- Journeyman target: $58,570
- Still to gain at turnout: +$32,214
- Earned over the full apprenticeship: $145,017
- Remaining from here to turnout: $145,017
Your Full Wage Progression in Texas
| Period | Hours | % of scale | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ← you | 0–1,000 | 45% | $12.67 | $26,357 |
| 2 | 1,000–2,000 | 50% | $14.08 | $29,285 |
| 3 | 2,000–3,000 | 55% | $15.49 | $32,214 |
| 4 | 3,000–4,000 | 60% | $16.90 | $35,142 |
| 5 | 4,000–5,000 | 65% | $18.30 | $38,071 |
| 6 | 5,000–6,000 | 70% | $19.71 | $40,999 |
| 7 | 6,000–7,000 | 80% | $22.53 | $46,856 |
| 8 | 7,000–8,000 | 90% | $25.34 | $52,713 |
| Turnout | 8,000+ | 100% | $28.16 | $58,570 |
These are modelled estimates, not quoted wages. The tool applies a typical registered-apprenticeship percentage schedule to the real BLS Electricians median for Texas (OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2111). Actual percentages, the number of periods, and hour thresholds are set by your local JATC or program sponsor and do vary. Classroom hours are generally unpaid. Use this to compare states and understand the shape of the progression, then confirm against your local wage sheet.
How Apprentice Pay Actually Works
The thing most pay tables get wrong about apprenticeships is treating the wage as a dollar figure. It is not — it is a percentage of the local journeyman rate, and that distinction has two big consequences.
First, your raises are scheduled and published rather than discretionary. You know at the outset what period 5 pays. Second, and more importantly: where you apprentice matters more than how long you have been there. Because every step scales off local scale, a first-period apprentice in Oregon starts at roughly $45,590 — more than a fully licensed journeyman electrician earns in Arkansas, where the median is $49,070.
That is the single largest financial variable in the first five years of a trade career, and it is the one people think about least.
The Comparison That Actually Matters
An 8,000-hour apprenticeship at the national median electrician wage of $63,190 totals roughly $156,456 in earnings across the apprenticeship itself, before any overtime.
Set that against the standard framing of a four-year degree, which is tuition plus four years of forgone earnings. The apprenticeship inverts both terms: no tuition, and roughly six figures earned during the same window, finishing licensed and debt-free at around the national median for the trade. Whether a specific degree beats that over a full career is a separate question — but the first five years are not close.
What the Percentages Look Like
Electrical and plumbing programs typically run eight periods of 1,000 hours. HVAC programs are often shorter. A representative shape for each:
| Period | 8-period (electrical, plumbing) | 6-period (HVAC, roofing) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45% | 50% |
| 2 | 50% | 57% |
| 3 | 55% | 65% |
| 4 | 60% | 73% |
| 5 | 65% | 80% |
| 6 | 70% | 90% |
| 7 | 80% | — |
| 8 | 90% | — |
Note the acceleration at the end. The jump from period 6 to period 8 is the steepest part of the curve, which is why apprentices who drop out in years three and four leave the most money on the table. Your local wage sheet is the authority — these are the common shape, not a rule.
Things to Check Before You Sign On
- Get the wage sheet in writing. A published percentage schedule is a good sign. “We'll take care of you” is not a wage schedule.
- Ask how hours are credited. You advance on hours worked, not on time elapsed. A slow year stretches four years into five.
- Confirm whether classroom time is paid. Usually it is not. Two evenings a week is real unpaid time on top of a full working week.
- Check what benefits attach. Union programs typically include pension and health through the local. Non-union varies widely — verify rather than assume.
- Compare across state lines. Use the selector above. The gap is frequently larger than any raise you will get by staying put.
From Spreadsheet Math to One Platform
If you employ apprentices, stepped wage tiers across a crew are exactly where general accounting packages struggle — as is certified payroll on public work. Construction payroll software handles multi-rate crews, and SubcontractorHub keeps the pipeline full enough that your apprentices actually bank their hours.
Book a DemoFrequently Asked Questions
How is apprentice pay calculated in the trades?
Apprentice pay is set as a percentage of the local journeyman rate, not as a flat dollar figure. It typically starts near 45 to 50 percent and steps up every 1,000 hours worked — roughly every six months at full-time — until you turn out at 100 percent. Because the percentage applies to local scale, the same period pays very different amounts in different states.
How much does an apprentice earn over the whole apprenticeship?
For an electrician apprenticeship of 8,000 hours at the national median journeyman wage, total earnings across the apprenticeship come to roughly $200,000 before overtime. This is the figure worth comparing against a four-year degree: the apprentice is paid throughout instead of paying tuition, so the swing between the two paths over the same four to five years is substantial.
Do apprentices get paid while in class?
Usually not. The related classroom instruction — typically two evenings a week — is generally unpaid time, while the on-the-job hours are paid. The instruction itself is funded by the program sponsor rather than charged as tuition, so there is no cost to you beyond books and tools, but do not budget for those classroom hours as income.
Why does apprentice pay vary so much between states?
Because every step is a percentage of the local journeyman rate, and journeyman rates vary enormously. An electrician's median is $101,310 in Oregon and $49,070 in Arkansas — so a first-period apprentice in Oregon starts above what a fully licensed journeyman earns in Arkansas. Where you apprentice is the single largest financial variable in the first five years of a trade career.
Are these figures exact apprenticeship wages?
No — they are modelled estimates. The tool applies a typical percentage schedule to real BLS journeyman medians for your state. Actual apprentice wage steps are set locally by the JATC or program sponsor and vary in both the percentages and the number of periods. Use this to compare states and to understand the shape of the progression, then confirm the exact numbers against your local wage sheet.
Data Sources & Method
Journeyman anchors: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release, retrieved via the BLS public API — SOC 47-2111, 47-2152, 49-9021, and 47-2181. Apprentice percentages reflect the common range used by registered apprenticeship programs (IBEW/NECA, UA, IEC, ABC, PHCC); exact steps, period counts, and hour thresholds are set locally by each program sponsor. All apprentice figures on this page are therefore modelled estimates from BLS journeyman medians, not quoted apprenticeship wages. Annualised figures assume 2,080 hours; classroom hours are generally unpaid and not included.
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