What Electricians earn in San Bernardino County, CA
The median pay for Electricians in San Bernardino County, CA is $72,790 per year, which works out to $35.00 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area, the labor market that San Bernardino County, CA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $80,090, which is 10.0% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 7,880 people working in this occupation across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. San Bernardino County, CA has roughly 2,197,104 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Electricians in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $45,360 a year ($21.81 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $139,430 or more ($67.03 an hour). That is a gap of $94,070 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $54,080 at the 25th percentile and $97,530 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 3.1 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $35.00 an hour or $72,790 a year at the median for San Bernardino County, CA. Before any deductions, that is $6,066 a month, $2,800 every two weeks and $1,400 each week. After taxes the same job pays $27.44 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Electricians
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Electricians this way: "Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools"; "Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, or components, using test equipment and hand tools to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem"; "Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components"; "Inspect electrical systems, equipment, or components to identify hazards, defects, or the need for adjustment or repair, and to ensure compliance with codes".
Job outlook for Electricians
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 821,000 jobs in 2025 to 896,900 in 2035, a change of +9.2%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 72,700 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 8.9% of current employment each year. About 7.1% of the people in this occupation are self-employed, and wage figures cover wage and salary workers only.
Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: apprenticeship. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $63,190 for this occupation; the San Bernardino County, CA median of $72,790 is 15.2% above it.
How pay in San Bernardino County, CA compares
Compared with the California average
Pay in San Bernardino County, CA runs $5,039 below the California average of $77,829, a gap of 6.5%. A worker who moved to a better-paying part of California would, on paper, gain that difference before taxes. Within California, the highest median we track for this job is $92,830 in Alameda County, CA.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Electricians is $68,975 across the contiguous United States. At $72,790, San Bernardino County, CA pays $3,815 more, which is 5.5% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in San Bernardino County, CA
Among the 584 occupations with published wages in San Bernardino County, CA, Electricians ranks number 235 by median pay, ahead of about 60% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Medical and Health Services Managers at $135,010 a year, which is $62,220 more than the median for Electricians.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Electricians earning the San Bernardino County, CA median of $72,790, they add up to $15,722. The result is $57,068 of take-home pay a year ($4,756 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $22 goes to taxes and $78 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 21.6%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $57,040. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 22% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $7,463, an effective 10.3% of gross pay, well below the 22% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $4,513 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,055. FICA totals $5,568, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in California
California income tax on this salary is $2,691 a year, or 3.7% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 36% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $224 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for San Bernardino County, CA
IRS Statistics of Income data for San Bernardino County, CA show an average adjusted gross income of $70,033 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 10.8% across all filers. Filers in the $50,000 to under $75,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 6.4%, compared with the 10.3% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in San Bernardino County, CA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in San Bernardino County, CA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $57,068 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For San Bernardino County, CA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,705 a month ($20,460 a year), and at $2,103 for two bedrooms. For Electricians, a one-bedroom absorbs 35.9% of take-home pay and 28.1% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 4.7% of gross pay for Electricians in San Bernardino County, CA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using California residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,378 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $751, for $4,129 in total. Gasoline in California averages $4.42 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $2,047.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $30,071 a year in San Bernardino County, CA. Subtract that from $57,068 of take-home pay and $26,996 remains, which is $2,250 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 37.1% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for San Bernardino County, CA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in San Bernardino County, CA: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for San Bernardino County, CA, set beside the California and national medians.
Property taxes in San Bernardino County, CA
Homeowners in San Bernardino County, CA pay a median of $3,538 a year in real estate taxes, 31% below the California median of $5,124 and 13% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $505,000, the median tax bill is 0.70% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Electricians median of $72,790, a tax bill of that size would equal 4.9% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in San Bernardino County, CA
Renters in San Bernardino County, CA pay a median gross rent of $1,801 a month in the Census survey, 12% below the California median of $2,036. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,705 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $505,000, 31% below the California median of $734,700. Median household income is $85,478, 14% below the California median of $99,122, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 23.9% of that income.
Commuting in San Bernardino County, CA
Workers in San Bernardino County, CA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 32.6 minutes each way, 14% above the California average of 28.7. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.4 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 11.0% of workers in San Bernardino County, CA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Electricians afford to live in San Bernardino County, CA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $72,790 that ceiling is $1,820 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,705 is $115 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $32.79 an hour; the median for Electricians is $35.00, which is 7% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $27.44 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 14.3 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,103 a month means $1,052 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $7,842 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $34,838.
How fast you can save
At $2,250 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 5 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 10 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Electricians pay in San Bernardino County, CA
How much do Electricians make per hour in San Bernardino County, CA?
The median is $35.00 per hour, based on $72,790 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $21.81 at the 10th percentile to $67.03 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Electricians take home after taxes in San Bernardino County, CA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $72,790 becomes $57,068 a year. That is $4,756 a month, $2,195 every two weeks or $1,097 a week.
How much tax do Electricians pay in San Bernardino County, CA?
Total taxes are $15,722 a year, an effective rate of 21.6%: $7,463 federal income tax, $5,568 FICA and $2,691 California income tax.
Do Electricians earn more in San Bernardino County, CA than elsewhere in California?
No. The local median of $72,790 is -6.5% versus the California average of $77,829, a difference of $5,039 a year.
Can Electricians afford a one-bedroom apartment in San Bernardino County, CA?
A one-bedroom costs $1,705 a month against take-home pay of $4,756, which is 35.9% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,820 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Electricians in San Bernardino County, CA?
About $2,250 a month ($26,996 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $30,071 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in San Bernardino County, CA at the 30% guideline?
$32.79 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $20,460 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Electricians is $35.00.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the California rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.