Commercial electrical hiring in Akron.
A $160M NSF grant is fueling advanced manufacturing across the region. Advanced-manufacturing electricians now run about 9% above national - the clearest premium in an otherwise discounted market.
A rubber-town legacy site, becoming a mixed-use district.
Electrical hiring in Akron is a generally discounted market - most conventional work runs a few points below national average - with one real specialty premium.
A $160M National Science Foundation grant is backing the NEO-SMART advanced manufacturing initiative, aiming to create or retain 20,000 regional jobs and train 12,000 workers over 10 years. Process-power and specialized equipment-circuit work tied to that push is exactly why advanced-manufacturing electricians carry the clearest premium in this metro.
Separately, the former Goodyear headquarters campus is midway through "The East End" redevelopment, reimagining 1.4 million sq ft of historic Goodyear buildings as a mixed-use, live-work-play district - adding substantial adaptive-reuse electrical scope.
Capital projects driving Akron electrical demand
- NEO-SMART advanced manufacturing initiative$160M (NSF grant)
A 10-year regional initiative aiming to create or retain 20,000 jobs and train 12,000 workers in new materials and manufacturing. Advanced-manufacturing electrical work - specialized equipment circuits, process-control power, and facility upgrades tied to new materials production - is why advanced-manufacturing electricians carry the clearest premium in this metro, even against an otherwise discounted general market.
- East End & Goodyear HQ redevelopmentUndisclosed (400-acre site)
Phase II reimagining the original 1.4 million sq ft Goodyear Headquarters and Goodyear Hall as a mixed live-work-play district - substantial electrical scope for adaptive-reuse commercial and residential conversion work.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Most conventional Akron commercial electrical work runs a few points below BLS national averages. Advanced-manufacturing electricians are the clear exception at about 9% above national. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Akron wage range | National average | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial electrician (journeyman) | $27 – $35/hr | $27 – $34/hr | +1% |
| Commercial electrician (apprentice, 3rd-4th year) | $19 – $24/hr | $19 – $24/hr | 0% |
| Advanced-manufacturing electrician | $32 – $41/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +9% |
| Healthcare-construction electrician | $29 – $38/hr | $29 – $38/hr | Parity |
| Low-voltage / controls electrician | $25 – $32/hr | $26 – $33/hr | −3% |
| Building automation systems (BAS) technician | $28 – $36/hr | $29 – $37/hr | −3% |
| Electrical foreman | $31 – $40/hr | $33 – $42/hr | −4% |
| Electrical project manager | $38 – $50/hr | $40 – $52/hr | −4% |
| Electrical superintendent | $44 – $56/hr | $46 – $58/hr | −4% |
| Electrical estimator (5+ yrs) | $40 – $52/hr | $42 – $54/hr | −4% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Akron MSA. Ranges reflect 25th-75th percentile, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on certifications, advanced-manufacturing experience, and years of experience.
What it takes to win the hire in Akron.
Notes from our own placements in this market - not a ranking of specific competitor contractors.
Where the talent actually comes from
Akron's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand at close to national parity, in a generally discounted overall labor market. Advanced-manufacturing electricians are sourced more selectively, often from candidates with prior industrial or process-power experience tied to the NEO-SMART initiative's manufacturing focus.
Credentials to filter for
Ohio has no state-level general contractor license, but regulates electrical work statewide through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), requiring a qualifying individual to pass a trade exam and business/law exam, plus at least $500,000 in liability insurance. For NEO-SMART-adjacent work specifically, industrial process-power experience matters as much as OCILB licensure.
What candidates actually expect
Advanced-manufacturing electricians know NEO-SMART is a 10-year regional commitment, not a short-term project - expect them to weigh offers against the stability of a sustained regional manufacturing investment.
What kills hires in this market
Pricing advanced-manufacturing electrical work at the region's generally discounted conventional-electrical rate. The documented +9% premium reflects genuinely specialized process-power and equipment-circuit work tied to new materials manufacturing.
Realistic timelines by role
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks. Advanced-manufacturing electricians: 6-8 weeks, because the NEO-SMART initiative's facilities and workforce investment is drawing on a more specialized skill set even in a generally balanced-to-discounted labor market.
The positions we fill, most often.
- Advanced-manufacturing electrician - The hardest hire in the region - process-power and specialized equipment circuits tied to the NEO-SMART initiative's new materials manufacturing push.
- Healthcare-construction electrician - Serves Akron Children's Hospital's Considine Professional Building addition.
- Commercial electrician (journeyman) - Core field role across every conventional commercial and institutional project in the metro.
- Electrical foreman - Runs crews on both conventional commercial work and The East End's adaptive-reuse redevelopment.
- Electrical superintendent - Oversees multi-crew electrical scope on the largest jobs - mixed-use redevelopment or manufacturing delivery experience is the premium hire.
- Electrical project manager - Coordinates scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor management across NEO-SMART and The East End projects.
- Building automation systems (BAS) technician - Controls integration for commercial and institutional buildings across the metro.
- Low-voltage / controls electrician - Data, security, and life-safety systems wiring for conventional commercial builds.
- Electrical estimator - Prices bids across a market where advanced-manufacturing scope carries materially different unit costs than the region's generally discounted conventional commercial work.
- Electrical apprentice (3rd-4th year) - Pipeline talent working toward Ohio OCILB electrical licensure.
For the full commercial electrical role catalog, see the Commercial Electrical industry page.
How My Trade Talent hires electrical talent in Akron.
We don't run a generic trades desk. We track Akron's electrical labor market specifically - the NEO-SMART initiative's 10-year manufacturing investment, The East End's adaptive-reuse redevelopment, and Ohio's OCILB licensing structure. We source advanced-manufacturing electricians from candidates with prior industrial process-power experience, then screen against the market's actual wage data - not guesswork.
Akron runs 12% fewer commercial electrical workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Electricians. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Akron's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Akron metro had 77 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,593 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $96,330, 13.8% above the national average of $84,633 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 8.7% over the year, faster than the 4.9% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 11 per 100,000 residents, close to the 11 national rate. These firms account for 11.1% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Akron ranks 79th for headcount, 16th for median pay and 71st for concentration for electricians.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 7,210 | $64,700 | 1.34 | 238 |
| Cincinnati | 5,640 | $63,490 | 1.05 | 261 |
| Cleveland | 4,420 | $70,860 | 0.88 | 242 |
| Dayton | 1,920 | $61,870 | 1.06 | 77 |
| Akron | 1,360 | $77,360 | 0.88 | 77 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial electrical employers in Akron, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Akron metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Akron's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
Akron lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 80 business locations to 77 (down 4%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 16%, to about 1,593 people, so fewer firms are employing more people each. Average annual pay there went from $82,202 to $96,330 (+17%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 80 | 77 | −4% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 1,371 | 1,593 | +16% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $82,202 | $96,330 | +17% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked questions.
What does it cost to hire commercial electrical staff in Akron?
Median pay for electricians in Akron is $77,360 a year, per BLS. That is the midpoint for the metro, so half the market is paid above it — an offer at or below the median asks someone to move for no raise. Specialty and supervisory roles sit well above it, and the wage table on this page breaks those out by role.
How hard is it to hire commercial electrical staff in Akron?
Akron has 12% fewer electricians per job than the country as a whole, below the national concentration. Akron employs about 1,360 of them. A thinner pool means the people you want already have jobs, usually with someone who would rather keep them. Filling these seats is outbound work, not a posting.
How many commercial electrical employers are there in Akron?
In 2023 the Akron metro had 77 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,593 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $96,330, 13.8% above the national average of $84,633 for the same kind of employer. Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2023.
How does Akron compare with other metros for electrical hiring?
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Akron ranks 79th for headcount, 16th for median pay and 71st for concentration for electricians.
How does Akron compare with other Ohio metros for electrical talent?
Akron has the 5th-largest electricians workforce of the 5 Ohio metros we cover, with about 1,360. For comparison: Columbus (7,210), Cincinnati (5,640), Cleveland (4,420). Candidates often move between these metros, so a search here usually reaches into them too.
How much do commercial electricians make in Akron?
Journeyman commercial electricians in Akron run $27-$35/hr, essentially at national parity with the $27-$34/hr national average, in an otherwise discounted overall market. Advanced-manufacturing electricians run considerably higher, $32-$41/hr, about 9% above the comparable national range - the clearest electrical wage premium in this metro, tied to the $160M NEO-SMART advanced manufacturing initiative.
How long does it take to hire a commercial electrician in Akron?
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Advanced-manufacturing electricians run 6-8 weeks, because the NEO-SMART initiative's facilities and workforce investment is drawing on a more specialized skill set even in a generally balanced-to-discounted labor market.
Why do advanced-manufacturing electricians earn more in Akron?
A $160 million National Science Foundation grant is backing the NEO-SMART advanced manufacturing initiative, aiming to create or retain 20,000 regional jobs and train 12,000 workers in new materials and manufacturing over 10 years. Process-power and specialized equipment-circuit work tied to that push is a distinct skill set from standard commercial electrical, worth about a 9% wage premium even in an otherwise discounted market.
What licensing does a commercial electrician need in Akron?
Ohio has no state-level general contractor license, but regulates electrical work statewide through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), requiring a qualifying individual to pass a trade exam and a business/law exam, plus at least $500,000 in liability insurance.
Where does My Trade Talent find electrical candidates for Akron?
Akron's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well, at close to national parity. For advanced-manufacturing electricians, we source more selectively from candidates with prior industrial or process-power experience.
Hiring more than one trade in Akron? The Akron market page covers every trade we recruit here, with the wage data and capital projects behind them.
Hiring commercial electricians in Akron?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.