Commercial electrical hiring in Dayton.
A $250M, 43.5-acre research campus is going up at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians now run about 17% above national - the clear standout in an otherwise near-parity market.
A defense-research mega-project, in an otherwise balanced market.
Electrical hiring in Dayton is a genuinely balanced market where standard commercial work prices at national parity - with one specific specialty pulled well above the norm.
The Convergence Research Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a $250M, 43.5-acre research campus developed by Synergy under a federal enhanced use lease - a hub for academia, government, and industry collaboration on aerospace and defense research. Electrical work here requires security clearance and familiarity with federal contracting standards, which is exactly why federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians carry the largest premium in this metro.
Separately, Kettering Health is investing $40M in Greene County - a new $25M Xenia medical center plus $15M in Greene Memorial Hospital renovations - adding healthcare-construction electrical demand on top.
Capital projects driving Dayton electrical demand
- Convergence Research Center (Wright-Patterson AFB)$250M
A 43.5-acre research campus developed by Synergy under a federal enhanced use lease with the Department of the Air Force - a hub for academia, government, and industry collaboration on aerospace and defense research. Electrical work on a federal facility of this kind requires security clearance and familiarity with federal contracting standards, which is why federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians carry the largest premium in this metro, even though most conventional Dayton trades price near national parity.
- Kettering Health Greene County investment$40M ($25M new medical center + $15M hospital renovation)
A new Xenia medical center plus renovations at Greene Memorial Hospital - healthcare-grade electrical work across two facilities, requiring emergency-power and life-safety systems experience distinct from conventional commercial electrical.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Most conventional Dayton commercial electrical work prices at national parity. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians are the clear exception at about 17% above national. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Dayton 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% |
| Federal-facility / defense-cleared electrician | $34 – $44/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +17% |
| Healthcare-construction electrician | $30 – $39/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +3% |
| Low-voltage / controls electrician | $26 – $33/hr | $26 – $33/hr | 0% |
| Building automation systems (BAS) technician | $29 – $37/hr | $29 – $37/hr | 0% |
| Electrical foreman | $32 – $41/hr | $33 – $42/hr | −2% |
| Electrical project manager | $39 – $51/hr | $40 – $52/hr | −2% |
| Electrical superintendent | $45 – $57/hr | $46 – $58/hr | −2% |
| Electrical estimator (5+ yrs) | $41 – $53/hr | $42 – $54/hr | −2% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Dayton MSA. Ranges reflect 25th-75th percentile, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on certifications, federal clearance/healthcare experience, and years of experience.
What it takes to win the hire in Dayton.
Notes from our own placements in this market - not a ranking of specific competitor contractors.
Where the talent actually comes from
Dayton's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand at close to national-parity rates. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians are sourced more selectively, often from candidates with existing security clearances and prior work on federal or defense-contractor facilities.
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 Wright-Patterson work specifically, an active or transferable security clearance is the real gating credential.
What candidates actually expect
Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians know their clearance and federal-project experience are genuinely scarce - expect them to weigh offers against the security and duration of ongoing federal-contracting work, not just hourly rate.
What kills hires in this market
Treating federal-facility electrical work as standard commercial electrical with a markup. The documented +17% premium exists because security clearance requirements and Wright-Patterson's specific federal-contracting standards narrow the qualified pool substantially - it's not a negotiable add-on.
Realistic timelines by role
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians: 8-12 weeks, because security clearance requirements and Wright-Patterson's specific federal-contracting standards narrow the qualified pool substantially.
The positions we fill, most often.
- Federal-facility / defense-cleared electrician - The hardest hire in the region, by far - security-cleared electrical work for the Convergence Research Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
- Healthcare-construction electrician - Emergency-power and life-safety electrical systems for Kettering Health's two Greene County facilities.
- 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 region's federal/healthcare capital projects.
- Electrical superintendent - Oversees multi-crew electrical scope on the largest jobs - federal/defense or healthcare delivery experience is the premium hire.
- Electrical project manager - Coordinates scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor management across federal, healthcare, and commercial GC 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 federal-facility scope carries fundamentally different security and compliance requirements than 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 Dayton.
We don't run a generic trades desk. We track Dayton's electrical labor market specifically - the Convergence Research Center's security-clearance requirements, Ohio's OCILB licensing structure, and the fact that most conventional work here prices at national parity. We source federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians from candidates with existing clearances and prior federal-contracting experience, then screen against the market's actual wage data - not guesswork.
Dayton runs 6% more commercial electrical workers per job than the country as a whole — above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Dayton's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Dayton metro had 77 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. The number of these employers fell 7.2%, as firms merged, closed or moved out. That works out to 9.5 per 100,000 residents against 11 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Dayton ranks 64th for headcount, 60th for median pay and 35th 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 Dayton, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Dayton metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Dayton's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Dayton rose from 72 in 2018 to 77 in 2023, up 7%, close to the 6% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Dayton, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 72 | 77 | +7% |
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 Dayton?
Median pay for electricians in Dayton is $61,870 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 Dayton?
Dayton has 6% more electricians per job than the country as a whole, above the national concentration. Dayton employs about 1,920 of them. A deeper pool means more candidates to reach — and more employers reaching them, so competing offers are common. Speed and a clear offer matter more here than volume of outreach.
How many commercial electrical employers are there in Dayton?
In 2023 the Dayton metro had 77 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. The number of these employers fell 7.2%, as firms merged, closed or moved out. Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2023.
How does Dayton compare with other metros for electrical hiring?
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Dayton ranks 64th for headcount, 60th for median pay and 35th for concentration for electricians.
How does Dayton compare with other Ohio metros for electrical talent?
Dayton has the 4th-largest electricians workforce of the 5 Ohio metros we cover, with about 1,920. 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 Dayton?
Journeyman commercial electricians in Dayton run $27-$35/hr, essentially at national parity with the $27-$34/hr national average. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians run considerably higher, $34-$44/hr, about 17% above the comparable national range - the clear standout premium in this metro, tied to the $250M Convergence Research Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
How long does it take to hire a commercial electrician in Dayton?
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians run considerably longer, 8-12 weeks, because security clearance requirements and Wright-Patterson's specific federal-contracting standards narrow the qualified pool substantially.
Why do federal-facility electricians earn so much more in Dayton?
The Convergence Research Center is a $250M, 43.5-acre research campus being built at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base under a federal enhanced use lease - a hub for aerospace and defense collaboration between academia, government, and industry. Electrical work on a federal facility of this kind requires security clearance and familiarity with federal contracting standards, a genuinely scarce combination that commands about a 17% wage premium.
What licensing does a commercial electrician need in Dayton?
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 Dayton?
Dayton's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well. For federal-facility/defense-cleared electricians, we source more selectively from candidates with existing security clearances and prior work on federal or defense-contractor facilities.
Hiring more than one trade in Dayton? The Dayton market page covers every trade we recruit here, with the wage data and capital projects behind them.
Hiring commercial electricians in Dayton?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.