Commercial electrical recruiters serving Jacksonville.
JAXPORT's harbor deepening, the new Berth 21, and BAE Systems' $200M ship-repair upgrade are all drawing on the same narrow pool of port and marine electricians - while a 22M+ sq ft warehouse boom keeps conventional and logistics electrical work running at volume alongside it.
Two labor pools, running at different speeds.
Jacksonville's commercial electrical market runs a real, broad premium - journeyman electricians here earn roughly 6% above national. That premium isn't evenly distributed, though; it splits along a clear line between port/marine work and everything else.
JAXPORT is raising its operational air-draft clearance to 205 feet over its 47-foot deepwater harbor, on track for completion by the end of 2026, and building the $60M Berth 21 vehicle-import berth, already 50% complete and on track for early 2027. Both need port-electrical work - crane systems, materials-handling controls - at a scale few Southeast ports carry.
BAE Systems is running a $200M, multi-year upgrade to its Jacksonville ship-repair facility, sustaining steady demand for marine electricians who can work naval and commercial vessel electrical systems - a specialty that doesn't come from a conventional commercial background.
Meanwhile, the region's warehouse and logistics sector has added more than 22 million square feet of new industrial space in five years, one of the fastest such expansions in the Southeast. That work is high-volume but comparatively conventional - tenant-improvement and materials-handling electrical, not the specialized port/marine tier.
The named programs driving the wage pressure.
A short list of major capital programs with significant commercial electrical scope in this metro. Every electrical contractor chasing port or marine work here is staffing against some combination of these.
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Raises operational air-draft clearance to 205 feet over the port's 47-foot deepwater harbor, on track for completion end of 2026. Heavy civil, marine construction, and port-electrical demand - crane systems and materials-handling controls - at a scale few Southeast ports carry.
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50% complete, on track for early 2027. New vehicle-import berth capacity requiring materials-handling electrical work tied directly to the port's freight-handling expansion.
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Multi-year upgrade to BAE's Jacksonville ship-repair capacity, sustaining demand for marine electricians serving naval and commercial vessel electrical systems alongside structural welders and pipefitters.
What you'll actually pay - by electrical role.
Hourly wage ranges for this metro, projected to 2026. Port and marine specialists carry the steepest premiums; warehouse/logistics electrical stays closer to the conventional-commercial baseline. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Metro range | Typical experience | Market notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial electrician (journeyman) | $29 – $37/hr | 3-7 yrs | Runs about 6% above national; port and marine-experienced electricians price at the top of this range |
| Apprentice electrician | $20 – $26/hr | 0-3 yrs | A steady pipeline; Florida's ECLB sets the licensing path statewide |
| Port electrician (crane systems / materials handling) | $32 – $40/hr | 5-9 yrs | JAXPORT's harbor deepening and the new Berth 21 vehicle-import berth both need port-electrical work - crane power, materials-handling controls - on tracks completing end of 2026 and early 2027 |
| Marine electrician (shipyard) | $33 – $42/hr | 5-9 yrs | BAE Systems' $200M multi-year ship-repair facility upgrade sustains steady demand for electricians who can work naval and commercial vessel electrical systems |
| Industrial / warehouse electrician (logistics) | $29 – $37/hr | 3-7 yrs | High-volume, comparatively conventional work tied to 22M+ sq ft of new industrial space added over 5 years - one of the fastest-growing logistics markets in the Southeast |
| Materials-handling / automation electrician | $31 – $39/hr | 4-8 yrs | Conveyor, sortation, and automated-storage electrical work for the warehouse boom is a distinct scope from standard tenant-improvement electrical |
| Building automation / controls electrician | $30 – $38/hr | 4-8 yrs | Named-platform experience commands the top of this range |
| Electrical foreman | $35 – $44/hr | 7+ yrs | ECLB license fluency plus port or marine project experience is a real differentiator in this market |
| Electrical project manager | $42 – $54/hr | 5-10 yrs | Port, marine, or large-scale logistics delivery experience adds a genuine premium |
| Electrical superintendent | $46 – $58/hr | 10+ yrs | Multi-specialty delivery depth across port, marine, and warehouse work is the single most valuable credential at this level |
Source: BLS OEWS, Jacksonville MSA, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on ECLB license status, port/marine or logistics experience, and project portfolio.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Jacksonville commercial electrical hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Where Jacksonville commercial electrical talent comes from
Jacksonville has solid conventional-commercial and warehouse/logistics electrical availability, since the 22M+ sq ft industrial boom has kept that pipeline active. The real bottleneck is port and marine electrical - JAXPORT's harbor and Berth 21 work plus BAE's ship-repair upgrade draw on the same narrow specialty pool.
Credentials worth filtering for
Florida licenses electrical contractors separately through the ECLB. A Certified EC can work statewide; a Registered ER only in the county that issued it - verify the right license type for the scope before presenting a candidate. For port and marine roles, prior shipyard or heavy-civil marine construction experience is the filter that actually separates candidates.
What candidates expect from a Jacksonville electrical offer in 2026
Comp modestly above national - roughly 6% for conventional commercial. Port and marine electricians price at the top of the journeyman range given JAXPORT's and BAE's concurrent, multi-year programs. Clarity on whether the role is conventional commercial, warehouse/logistics, port, or marine work, since those source very differently in this metro.
What kills Jacksonville commercial electrical hires
Treating the warehouse boom and the port/marine corridor as the same labor pool - they aren't. Logistics electrical work is high-volume and comparatively conventional; port and marine work requires specific crane, materials-handling, or shipyard electrical experience that the warehouse pipeline doesn't produce.
Realistic timelines, by role
Journeyman electricians (conventional commercial, warehouse/logistics): 3-5 weeks intake to signed offer. Apprentices: 3-4 weeks. Port and marine electricians: 6-9 weeks, given how concentrated JAXPORT's and BAE's concurrent programs are on the same specialty pool. We tell you which bucket your role is in on the intake call.
The electrical positions we fill, most often.
Across Jacksonville commercial electrical clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Port and marine specialists are flagged in the wage table above as the tightest fills.
- Commercial electrician (journeyman)
- Apprentice electrician
- Port electrician (crane systems / materials handling)
- Marine electrician (shipyard)
- Industrial / warehouse electrician (logistics)
- Materials-handling / automation electrician
- Building automation / controls electrician
- Electrical foreman
- Electrical project manager (port / marine / logistics)
- Electrical superintendent
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in this metro, see the Jacksonville metro overview. To learn more about commercial electrical generally (across all 100 markets we serve), see our Commercial Electrical industry page.
How we recruit commercial electrical in Jacksonville, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - tuned for what works in Jacksonville commercial electrical specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For this metro, we also establish whether the role sits in conventional commercial, warehouse/logistics, port, or marine work, since those source very differently.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Jacksonville electrical candidate network for conventional-commercial and warehouse/logistics roles. For port and marine specialists, we work a wider network, since JAXPORT's and BAE's concurrent programs have concentrated demand on a narrow pool.
- Vetted short list (week one for standard roles). Three to five candidates. We verify the right ECLB license type for the scope, test technical depth on the specific specialty, and confirm wage expectations against the correct track of this market.
- Offer and close. Conventional commercial and warehouse/logistics roles close in 3-5 weeks. Port and marine electricians run 6-9 weeks. We help with the offer math throughout.
Jacksonville runs 34% more commercial electrical workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Jacksonville's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Jacksonville metro had 144 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 rose 3.6%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 8.5 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, Jacksonville ranks 38th for headcount, 85th for median pay and 10th for concentration for electricians. That puts it among the deepest commercial electrical labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 12,990 | $58,630 | 0.95 | 545 |
| Tampa | 7,170 | $57,450 | 1.02 | 316 |
| Orlando | 6,970 | $50,820 | 1.01 | 264 |
| Jacksonville | 4,990 | $58,280 | 1.34 | 144 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 2,140 | $57,930 | 1.44 | 68 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 1,620 | $51,930 | 0.98 | 63 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,220 | $58,450 | 1.02 | 48 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 1,140 | $48,950 | 1.06 | 58 |
| Port St. Lucie | 1,100 | $58,540 | 1.32 | 47 |
| Lakeland | 1,020 | $54,920 | 0.79 | 45 |
| Pensacola | 970 | $50,510 | 1.04 | 35 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial electrical employers in Jacksonville, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Jacksonville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Jacksonville's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Jacksonville rose from 128 in 2018 to 144 in 2023, up 13%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Jacksonville, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 128 | 144 | +13% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial electrical hiring in Jacksonville.
What is a commercial electrician paid in Jacksonville in 2026?
Commercial electricians (journeyman) in Jacksonville typically earn $29–$37/hr, roughly 6% above national. Port and marine electricians run $32–$42/hr given JAXPORT's harbor deepening, the new Berth 21, and BAE Systems' $200M ship-repair facility upgrade all drawing on the same specialty pool.
Why is port and marine electrical talent scarce in Jacksonville?
JAXPORT is raising its operational air-draft clearance to 205 feet (on track for completion end of 2026) and building the $60M Berth 21 vehicle-import berth (50% complete, on track for early 2027), both needing port-electrical work. At the same time, BAE Systems is running a $200M, multi-year upgrade to its Jacksonville ship-repair facility. All three compete for electricians with crane-system, materials-handling, or shipyard electrical experience - a much narrower pool than conventional commercial or warehouse electrical.
Is warehouse/logistics electrical work the same labor pool as port and marine work in Jacksonville?
No. Jacksonville's 22M+ sq ft of new industrial and warehouse space over five years drives high-volume, comparatively conventional electrical work - tenant improvements, materials-handling and automation controls. Port and marine electrical work requires specific crane-system or shipyard experience that the warehouse pipeline doesn't produce, which is why we treat them as separate sourcing tracks.
How does electrical contractor licensing work in Jacksonville?
Florida licenses electrical contractors separately through the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB), distinct from the general DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board. A Certified EC can work statewide; a Registered ER can only work in the county that issued the license. We verify the right license type for the scope of work before presenting a candidate.
What do electricians earn in Jacksonville?
BLS puts the Jacksonville median for electricians at $58,280 a year, 8% below the $63,190 national median. That ranks 92nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $38,080 and $77,200, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Florida metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire electricians in Jacksonville?
Not by national standards. Electricians make up 34% more of the Jacksonville workforce than they do nationally, about 4,990 people. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial electrical roles pay the most in Jacksonville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Controls / Instrumentation Technician pays the most in Jacksonville, a $85,510 median. Electrician Helper / Apprentice is the lowest-paid field role at $37,870. Relative to national pay, Controls / Instrumentation Technician is the strongest-paying role here (9% above). Electrician Helper / Apprentice trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Jacksonville?
BLS counted 144 nonresidential electrical contractors in Jacksonville in 2023. Up from 128 in 2018, a 13% increase against 6% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Jacksonville for electricians?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Deltona-Daytona (102 miles, about 1,140, $48,950 median), Orlando (125 miles, about 6,970, $50,820 median) and Lakeland (159 miles, about 1,020, $54,920 median). Jacksonville out-pays Deltona-Daytona, Orlando and Lakeland, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Hiring commercial electrical in Jacksonville?
Tell us the role and the project. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source - in under 30 minutes.