Commercial electrical hiring in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre.
AWS and NorthPoint Development are building competing data center campuses, part of Amazon's $20B combined Pennsylvania investment. Critical-power electricians now run about 23% above national - the largest premium in this metro.
A $900M hospital tower, and two competing data center campuses.
Electrical hiring in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre is shaped by a genuinely large data center buildout running alongside a major hospital expansion.
Amazon Web Services is building a data center in Salem Township, part of a combined $20 billion Pennsylvania investment with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed. Critical-power electrical work - switchgear, UPS, backup generation at hyperscale - is exactly why data center electricians carry the largest premium in this metro. Separately, NorthPoint Development is planning a 15-building data center campus on roughly 1,280 acres in Hazle Township, competing for the same scarce electrical labor pool.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is completing a $900M expansion - an 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower - requiring emergency-power and life-safety electrical systems at real scale.
Capital projects driving Scranton-Wilkes-Barre electrical demand
- AWS data center (Salem Township)Part of a $20B combined AWS Pennsylvania investment
One of two Amazon Web Services data centers in the state, with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed. Critical-power electrical work - switchgear, UPS, backup generation at hyperscale - is why data center electricians carry the single largest premium in this metro.
- NorthPoint Development data center campus (Hazle Township)Undisclosed
A 15-building data center campus proposed on approximately 1,280 acres - Hazle Township supervisors denied the permit Nov 2025 (developer appealing), so this is a proposal, not a confirmed active project.
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion$900M
An 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18, requiring emergency-power and life-safety electrical systems at real scale.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Standard commercial electrical work runs about 3-6% above BLS national averages. Data center electricians/critical-power technicians carry the largest premium in this metro at about 23% above national. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Metro wage range | National average | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial electrician (journeyman) | $29 – $37/hr | $27 – $34/hr | +6% |
| Commercial electrician (apprentice, 3rd-4th year) | $20 – $25/hr | $19 – $24/hr | +5% |
| Data center electrician / critical-power technician | $36 – $47/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +23% |
| Healthcare-construction electrician | $31 – $40/hr | $29 – $38/hr | +6% |
| Low-voltage / controls electrician | $27 – $34/hr | $26 – $33/hr | +4% |
| Building automation systems (BAS) technician | $30 – $38/hr | $29 – $37/hr | +4% |
| Electrical foreman | $34 – $43/hr | $33 – $42/hr | +3% |
| Electrical project manager | $41 – $53/hr | $40 – $52/hr | +3% |
| Electrical superintendent | $47 – $59/hr | $46 – $58/hr | +3% |
| Electrical estimator (5+ yrs) | $43 – $56/hr | $42 – $54/hr | +3% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA. Ranges reflect 25th-75th percentile, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on certifications, data center/healthcare experience, and years of experience.
What it takes to win the hire in this market.
Notes from our own placements in this market - not a ranking of specific competitor contractors.
Where the talent actually comes from
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well, close to national parity. Data center electricians are sourced more selectively, often from candidates with prior hyperscale or critical-power facility experience, since AWS and NorthPoint are both drawing on a scarce skill set that's in demand nationally.
Credentials to filter for
Pennsylvania has no statewide electrical contractor license - licensing is set locally by each of the state's 2,562 municipalities, the same structure as Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Harrisburg-Carlisle, and Lancaster. For AWS or NorthPoint-adjacent work specifically, verified critical-power and switchgear experience matters as much as local licensing.
What candidates actually expect
Data center electricians know two concurrent hyperscale projects are competing for the same certified pool - expect them to weigh offers against the scale and duration of AWS's $20B statewide investment and NorthPoint's 15-building buildout.
What kills hires in this market
Treating data center electrical work as interchangeable with standard commercial electrical. The documented +23% premium exists because critical-power systems at hyperscale are a distinct skill set most generalist electricians don't carry.
Realistic timelines by role
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks. Data center electricians/critical-power technicians: 9-12 weeks, because AWS's and NorthPoint's concurrent data center projects need a very specific, scarce skill set that's in demand nationally.
The positions we fill, most often.
- Data center electrician / critical-power technician - The hardest hire in the region - switchgear, UPS, and backup generation for AWS's Salem Township data center and NorthPoint's planned 15-building campus.
- Healthcare-construction electrician - Emergency-power and life-safety electrical systems for Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center's $900M patient tower.
- 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 concurrent data center and hospital projects.
- Electrical superintendent - Oversees multi-crew electrical scope on the largest jobs - hyperscale data center or healthcare delivery experience is the clear premium hire.
- Electrical project manager - Coordinates scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor management across Geisinger's $900M tower and two concurrent data center 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 data center and hospital scope carry materially different unit costs than conventional commercial work.
- Electrical apprentice (3rd-4th year) - Pipeline talent working under Pennsylvania's municipality-by-municipality licensing structure.
For the full commercial electrical role catalog, see the Commercial Electrical industry page.
How My Trade Talent hires electrical talent in this market.
We don't run a generic trades desk. We track this market's electrical labor pool specifically - AWS's and NorthPoint's concurrent data center buildouts, Geisinger's $900M tower timeline, and Pennsylvania's municipality-by-municipality licensing structure. We source data center electricians from candidates with hyperscale critical-power experience, then screen against the market's actual wage data - not guesswork.
Scranton runs 16% 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 Scranton's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Scranton metro had 58 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 10 per 100,000 residents, close to the 11 national rate.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Scranton ranks 92nd for headcount, 39th for median pay and 76th for concentration for electricians.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 10,090 | $74,590 | 0.72 | 595 |
| Pittsburgh | 5,210 | $69,340 | 0.96 | 245 |
| Lancaster | 1,220 | $63,490 | 1.00 | 61 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 1,100 | $66,500 | 0.60 | 54 |
| Harrisburg | 1,050 | $71,820 | 0.64 | 47 |
| Scranton | 1,050 | $69,540 | 0.84 | 58 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial electrical employers in Scranton, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Scranton metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Scranton's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Scranton rose from 52 in 2018 to 58 in 2023, up 12%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Scranton, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 52 | 58 | +12% |
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 Scranton?
Median pay for electricians in Scranton is $69,540 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 Scranton?
Scranton has 16% fewer electricians per job than the country as a whole, below the national concentration. Scranton employs about 1,050 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 Scranton?
In 2023 the Scranton metro had 58 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. Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2023.
How does Scranton compare with other metros for electrical hiring?
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Scranton ranks 92nd for headcount, 39th for median pay and 76th for concentration for electricians.
How does Scranton compare with other Pennsylvania metros for electrical talent?
Scranton has the 5th-largest electricians workforce of the 6 Pennsylvania metros we cover, with about 1,050. For comparison: Philadelphia (10,090), Pittsburgh (5,210), Lancaster (1,220). Candidates often move between these metros, so a search here usually reaches into them too.
How much do commercial electricians make in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Journeyman commercial electricians run $29-$37/hr, about 6% above the national average of $27-$34/hr. Data center electricians/critical-power technicians run considerably higher, $36-$47/hr, about 23% above the comparable national range - the largest electrical wage premium in this metro, tied to AWS's $20B Pennsylvania investment and NorthPoint's planned data center campus.
How long does it take to hire a commercial electrician in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Standard commercial journeyman electricians: 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Data center electricians/critical-power technicians run 9-12 weeks, because AWS's and NorthPoint's concurrent data center projects need a very specific, scarce skill set that's in demand nationally.
Why do data center electricians earn so much more in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Amazon Web Services is building a data center in Salem Township as part of a combined $20 billion Pennsylvania investment with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed, and NorthPoint Development is separately planning a 15-building data center campus on about 1,280 acres in Hazle Township. Critical-power electrical work at hyperscale is a distinct skill set from standard commercial electrical, worth about a 23% wage premium.
What licensing does a commercial electrician need in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Pennsylvania has no statewide electrical contractor license. Commercial trades licensing is set locally by each of Pennsylvania's 2,562 municipalities - the same structure as our Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Harrisburg-Carlisle, and Lancaster metros.
Where does My Trade Talent find electrical candidates for Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre's own commercial electrical labor pool covers standard journeyman demand well. For data center electricians, we source more selectively from candidates with prior hyperscale or critical-power facility experience.
We have not closed a commercial electrical search in Scranton yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Scranton than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC TechnicianA senior technician across commercial and industrial HVAC and refrigeration.
Hiring more than one trade in Scranton? The Scranton market page covers every trade we recruit here, with the wage data and capital projects behind them.
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