Commercial electrical hiring in Modesto.
Sutter Health broke ground on a $380M, 165,000 sq ft cancer center on the Memorial Medical Center campus. Healthcare-construction electricians now run about 8% above national - the clear premium in this metro.
A $380M cancer center, plus new roads and homes.
Electrical hiring in Modesto is shaped by a genuinely large healthcare project alongside significant infrastructure growth.
Sutter Health broke ground in January 2026 on a $380M Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex - a four-story, 165,000 sq ft facility on the Memorial Medical Center campus with cancer treatment on the first two floors, a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center on the third, and 50+ outpatient exam rooms on the fourth, completing by 2029. Emergency-power and surgical-suite life-safety electrical systems across this multi-floor buildout are exactly why healthcare-construction electricians carry the clear premium in this metro.
Separately, North County Corridor Phase 1 is building a new four-lane, access-controlled expressway with a Roselle Avenue interchange, adding sustained lighting and signal electrical demand.
Capital projects driving Modesto electrical demand
- Sutter Health Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex$380M
A four-story, 165,000 sq ft facility on the Memorial Medical Center campus - cancer treatment on floors 1-2, a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center on floor 3, and 50+ outpatient exam rooms on floor 4. Emergency-power and surgical-suite life-safety electrical systems across four floors are why healthcare-construction electricians carry the clear premium in this metro, with completion targeted by 2029.
- North County Corridor Phase 1Undisclosed
A new four-lane, access-controlled expressway with a new interchange at Roselle Avenue and grade-separated structures over the BNSF rail line - sustained lighting and signal electrical demand across the buildout.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Standard commercial electrical work runs about 5-7% above BLS national averages. Healthcare-construction electricians carry the clear premium at about 8% above national, tied to Sutter Health's cancer center. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Modesto wage range | National average | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial electrician (journeyman) | $29 – $38/hr | $27 – $34/hr | +7% |
| Commercial electrician (apprentice, 3rd-4th year) | $21 – $26/hr | $19 – $24/hr | +7% |
| Healthcare-construction electrician | $32 – $42/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +8% |
| Low-voltage / controls electrician | $28 – $36/hr | $26 – $33/hr | +7% |
| Building automation systems (BAS) technician | $31 – $39/hr | $29 – $37/hr | +5% |
| Electrical foreman | $35 – $44/hr | $33 – $42/hr | +5% |
| Electrical project manager | $42 – $55/hr | $40 – $52/hr | +5% |
| Electrical superintendent | $48 – $61/hr | $46 – $58/hr | +5% |
| Electrical estimator (5+ yrs) | $44 – $57/hr | $42 – $54/hr | +5% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Modesto MSA. Ranges reflect 25th-75th percentile, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on certifications, healthcare experience, and years of experience.
What it takes to win the hire in Modesto.
Notes from our own placements in this market - not a ranking of specific competitor contractors.
Where the talent actually comes from
Modesto's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well, carrying a solid regional premium. Healthcare-construction electricians are sourced more selectively, often from candidates with prior hospital-facility electrical experience ahead of Sutter Health's 2029 completion target.
Credentials to filter for
California licenses electrical contractors statewide through the CSLB's C-10 specialty classification; any project valued at $1,000 or more requires a licensed contractor as of AB 2622 (January 2025). For Sutter Health work specifically, prior experience with surgical-suite emergency power and occupied-space, infection-control-compliant work matters as much as the license itself.
What candidates actually expect
Healthcare-construction electricians know Sutter Health's cancer center is a multi-year project running through 2029 - expect them to weigh that timeline against the stability of a defined, long-running healthcare construction pipeline.
What kills hires in this market
Treating surgical-suite emergency-power electrical work as interchangeable with standard commercial electrical. The documented +8% premium exists because that scope carries real code and safety stakes that generalist electricians aren't staffed to handle.
Realistic timelines by role
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks. Healthcare-construction electricians: 6-8 weeks, because Sutter Health's $380M cancer center is drawing on a specialized labor pool ahead of its 2029 completion.
The positions we fill, most often.
- Healthcare-construction electrician - The hardest hire in the region - emergency-power and surgical-suite life-safety systems for Sutter Health's $380M cancer center.
- Commercial electrician (journeyman) - Core field role across every commercial and institutional project in the metro.
- Electrical foreman - Runs crews on both conventional commercial work and Sutter Health's four-story buildout.
- Electrical superintendent - Oversees multi-crew electrical scope on the largest jobs - healthcare delivery experience is the clear premium hire.
- Electrical project manager - Coordinates scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor management across Sutter Health's cancer center through 2029.
- 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 hospital scope carries materially different code and unit-cost requirements than conventional commercial work.
- Electrical apprentice (3rd-4th year) - Pipeline talent working toward CSLB C-10 licensure.
For the full commercial electrical role catalog, see the Commercial Electrical industry page.
How My Trade Talent hires electrical talent in Modesto.
We don't run a generic trades desk. We track Modesto's electrical labor market specifically - Sutter Health's 2029 completion timeline and California's CSLB licensing structure. We source healthcare-construction electricians from candidates with prior hospital-facility experience, then screen against the market's actual wage data - not guesswork.
Modesto runs 19% 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 Modesto's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Modesto metro had 46 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,099 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $78,844, 6.8% below the national average of $84,633 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 13.4% over the year, faster than the 4.9% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 7%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 8.2 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. These firms account for 10.4% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Modesto ranks 98th for headcount, 21st for median pay and 81st for concentration for electricians.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 20,610 | $73,810 | 0.67 | 1,016 |
| San Francisco | 9,060 | $92,830 | 0.78 | 337 |
| San Diego | 8,060 | $76,160 | 1.08 | 251 |
| Riverside | 7,880 | $72,790 | 0.94 | 399 |
| Sacramento | 6,340 | $74,830 | 1.21 | 217 |
| San Jose | 5,480 | $91,030 | 0.99 | 167 |
| Fresno | 1,980 | $71,710 | 0.85 | 78 |
| Bakersfield | 1,410 | $75,860 | 0.85 | 69 |
| Stockton | 1,180 | $76,410 | 0.84 | 52 |
| Modesto | 770 | $76,710 | 0.81 | 46 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial electrical employers in Modesto, 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, Modesto metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Modesto's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Modesto rose from 37 in 2018 to 46 in 2023, up 24%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 34%, to about 1,099 people. Average annual pay there went from $65,129 to $78,844 (+21%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 37 | 46 | +24% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 822 | 1,099 | +34% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $65,129 | $78,844 | +21% |
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 Modesto?
Median pay for electricians in Modesto is $76,710 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 Modesto?
Modesto has 19% fewer electricians per job than the country as a whole, below the national concentration. Modesto employs about 770 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 Modesto?
In 2023 the Modesto metro had 46 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,099 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $78,844, 6.8% below the national average of $84,633 for the same kind of employer. Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2023.
How does Modesto compare with other metros for electrical hiring?
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Modesto ranks 98th for headcount, 21st for median pay and 81st for concentration for electricians.
How does Modesto compare with other California metros for electrical talent?
Modesto has the 10th-largest electricians workforce of the 10 California metros we cover, with about 770. For comparison: Los Angeles (20,610), San Francisco (9,060), San Diego (8,060). Candidates often move between these metros, so a search here usually reaches into them too.
How much do commercial electricians make in Modesto?
Journeyman commercial electricians in Modesto run $29-$38/hr, about 7% above the national average of $27-$34/hr - in line with California's statewide cost-of-labor premium. Healthcare-construction electricians run higher, $32-$42/hr, about 8% above the comparable national range - the clear premium in this metro, tied to Sutter Health's $380M cancer center.
How long does it take to hire a commercial electrician in Modesto?
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Healthcare-construction electricians run 6-8 weeks, because Sutter Health's $380M cancer center is drawing on a specialized labor pool ahead of its 2029 completion.
Why do healthcare-construction electricians earn more in Modesto?
Sutter Health broke ground in January 2026 on a $380 million, four-story, 165,000 sq ft Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex on the Memorial Medical Center campus, including a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center. Emergency-power and surgical-suite life-safety electrical work is a scarcer, more specialized skill set than standard commercial electrical, worth about an 8% wage premium.
What licensing does a commercial electrician need in Modesto?
California licenses electrical contractors statewide through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), using the C-10 specialty classification. Any project valued at $1,000 or more requires a licensed contractor as of Assembly Bill 2622 (January 2025).
Where does My Trade Talent find electrical candidates for Modesto?
Modesto's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well. For healthcare-construction electricians, we source more selectively from candidates with prior hospital-facility electrical experience.
5 commercial electrical seats are open in California right now.
Nothing is open for this trade in Modesto this week. These are the live commercial electrical searches elsewhere in California - commuting distance for some of them, a relocation conversation for the rest.
- Commercial Electrical ApprenticeApply →
- Commercial Journeyman ElectricianApply →
- Electrical Estimator/Project ManagerApply →
- Electrical ForemanApply →
- New Construction Commercial ElectricianApply →
Every open role we are running →
Board last synced September 28, 2026. Roles move fast; /jobs/ is always the current list.
Hiring more than one trade in Modesto? The Modesto market page covers every trade we recruit here, with the wage data and capital projects behind them.
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