Commercial electrical recruiters serving Tulsa.
Tulsa International Airport is becoming a real aerospace manufacturing campus - Park Aerospace's $65M composites facility and Quantum Space's $80M propulsion/spacecraft-parts facility are both landing here. Aerospace-facility electricians now run about 9% above national wage.
An airport becoming an aerospace campus.
Tulsa's commercial electrical market is genuinely close to national average - journeyman electricians here earn roughly 3% above national. This isn't a market defined by a broad boom; most conventional commercial electrical work prices right where you'd expect.
Tulsa International Airport is the one clear exception. Park Aerospace is investing $65M in a new advanced composite materials manufacturing facility on 18 acres, expected to create more than 100 jobs with operations beginning in 2028. Quantum Space is separately investing $80M in a 25,000-40,000 sq ft facility for large propulsion tank manufacturing and precision spacecraft parts production, creating 50 jobs with operations expected in Q1 2027.
Both join existing aerospace tenants Agile Space Industries and Lufthansa Technik Component Services already on the campus - a genuine cluster forming, not a one-off announcement. All of this requires precision-manufacturing electrical experience most commercial electricians don't carry.
That concentration is exactly why aerospace/precision-manufacturing electricians command the one real premium in this market - about 9% above national - while everything else prices close to average.
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 aerospace-adjacent work here is staffing against some combination of these.
-
A new advanced composite materials manufacturing facility on 18 acres at Tulsa International Airport, expected to create more than 100 jobs with operations beginning in 2028. Specialized precision-manufacturing electrical work distinct from conventional commercial building.
-
A 25,000-40,000 sq ft facility in the Spartan Building for large propulsion tank manufacturing and precision spacecraft parts production, expected to create 50 jobs with operations expected Q1 2027 - adding to the airport's growing aerospace-campus identity alongside Agile Space Industries and Lufthansa Technik Component Services.
What you'll actually pay - by electrical role.
Hourly wage ranges for this metro, projected to 2026. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing specialists carry the only real premium; conventional commercial roles price close to national average. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Electrical Salary Guide.
| Role | Metro range | Typical experience | Market notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial electrician (journeyman) | $28 – $36/hr | 3-7 yrs | Runs about 3% above national - essentially at national average. Aerospace-experienced electricians price well above this baseline |
| Apprentice electrician | $20 – $26/hr | 0-3 yrs | A steady pipeline; Oklahoma's CIB licensing structure sets the qualifying path statewide, same as Oklahoma City |
| Aerospace / precision-manufacturing electrician | $32 – $41/hr | 5-9 yrs | Runs about 9% above national - the only real premium we track in this metro. Park Aerospace's $65M composites facility and Quantum Space's $80M propulsion/spacecraft-parts facility both need precision-manufacturing electrical work most commercial electricians don't carry |
| Composite materials facility electrician | $32 – $41/hr | 5-9 yrs | Park Aerospace's new advanced composite materials facility, expected to create 100+ jobs with operations beginning 2028, needs electrical work tailored to composite-curing and precision-manufacturing environments |
| Spacecraft / propulsion manufacturing electrician | $33 – $42/hr | 5-9 yrs | Quantum Space's facility for large propulsion tank manufacturing and precision spacecraft parts production, operations expected Q1 2027, needs a distinct electrical scope from conventional industrial work |
| Building automation / controls electrician | $29 – $37/hr | 4-8 yrs | Named-platform experience commands the top of this range |
| Electrical foreman | $32 – $40/hr | 7+ yrs | CIB unlimited electrical license plus aerospace-facility project experience is the real differentiator in this market |
| Electrical project manager (aerospace) | $40 – $52/hr | 5-10 yrs | Aerospace or precision-manufacturing delivery experience adds the metro's one genuine premium at this level |
| Electrical superintendent | $43 – $55/hr | 10+ yrs | Aerospace-facility delivery experience is the single most valuable credential at this level given the airport's growing cluster |
| Electrical estimator | $42 – $55/hr | 5+ yrs | Tracks close to national average, matching the metro's broader commercial estimator baseline; aerospace-facility project portfolio experience adds a real premium |
Source: BLS OEWS, Tulsa MSA, projected to 2026. Actual offer rates depend on CIB license tier, aerospace/precision-manufacturing 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 Tulsa commercial electrical hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Where Tulsa commercial electrical talent comes from
Conventional commercial electrical is readily available and prices close to national average. The one genuine bottleneck is aerospace/precision-manufacturing electrical work, where Park Aerospace and Quantum Space are drawing on a narrow specialty pool that a growing airport-campus cluster is starting to concentrate.
Credentials worth filtering for
Oklahoma's CIB licenses electrical contractors the same way statewide as documented on our Oklahoma City page - tiered by scope, with a $5,000 contractor license bond required. Verify CIB status directly. For aerospace-facility roles, prior precision-manufacturing or aerospace-facility experience is the filter that actually separates candidates.
What candidates expect from a Tulsa electrical offer in 2026
Comp close to national average for conventional commercial work - about 3% above. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing electricians expect the metro's one real premium, roughly 9% above national, given how specialized Park Aerospace's and Quantum Space's electrical scope is.
What kills Tulsa commercial electrical hires
Assuming this is a broadly hot market. It isn't - most conventional commercial electrical work here prices close to national average. Overpaying for a conventional role, or underestimating how specialized the composite-materials and spacecraft-manufacturing electrical scope really is, are the two most common missteps.
Realistic timelines, by role
Journeyman electricians (conventional commercial): 3-5 weeks intake to signed offer - close to national average. Apprentices: 3-4 weeks. Building automation and foreman-level roles: 5-6 weeks. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing, composite materials, and spacecraft/propulsion manufacturing electricians: 5-7 weeks. We tell you which bucket your role is in on the intake call.
The electrical positions we fill, most often.
Across Tulsa commercial electrical clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing specialists are flagged in the wage table above as the tightest fill.
- Commercial electrician (journeyman)
- Apprentice electrician
- Aerospace / precision-manufacturing electrician
- Composite materials facility electrician
- Spacecraft / propulsion manufacturing electrician
- Building automation / controls electrician
- Electrical foreman
- Electrical project manager (aerospace)
- Electrical superintendent
- Electrical estimator
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in this metro, see the Tulsa 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 Tulsa, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - tuned for what works in Tulsa 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 requires aerospace or precision-manufacturing experience, since that changes both sourcing and pricing significantly.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Tulsa electrical candidate network for conventional-commercial roles. For aerospace, composite materials, and spacecraft/propulsion specialists, we work a wider network, since that specialty narrows the local pool considerably.
- Vetted short list (week one for standard roles). Three to five candidates. We verify the correct CIB license tier for the scope of work, test technical depth on the specific specialty, and confirm wage expectations against the correct track of this market.
- Offer and close. Conventional commercial roles close in 3-5 weeks. Building automation and foreman-level roles run 5-6 weeks. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing, composite materials, and spacecraft/propulsion manufacturing electricians run 5-7 weeks. We help with the offer math throughout.
Tulsa runs 23% 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 Tulsa's commercial electrical market compares
In 2023 the Tulsa metro had 206 nonresidential electrical contractors (counted by business location), with about 3,104 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $70,310, 16.9% below the national average of $84,633 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 12% 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 8.4%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 20 per 100,000 residents against 11 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often. These firms account for 12.0% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tulsa ranks 53rd for headcount, 57th for median pay and 19th for concentration for electricians.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 3,100 | $61,010 | 0.94 | 254 |
| Tulsa | 2,750 | $62,280 | 1.23 | 206 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial electrical employers in Tulsa, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Tulsa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Tulsa's commercial electrical market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Tulsa rose from 177 in 2018 to 206 in 2023, up 16%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 11%, to about 3,104 people. Average annual pay there went from $57,893 to $70,310 (+21%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 177 | 206 | +16% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 2,799 | 3,104 | +11% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $57,893 | $70,310 | +21% |
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 Tulsa.
What is a commercial electrician paid in Tulsa in 2026?
Commercial electricians (journeyman) in Tulsa typically earn $28–$36/hr, roughly 3% above national - essentially at the national average. Aerospace/precision-manufacturing electricians run $32–$41/hr, about 9% above national and the only real premium we track in this metro, given Park Aerospace's $65M composites facility and Quantum Space's $80M propulsion/spacecraft-parts facility.
Why is aerospace electrical talent scarce in Tulsa?
Tulsa International Airport is emerging as a genuine aerospace manufacturing campus. Park Aerospace is investing $65M in a new advanced composite materials facility, and Quantum Space is separately investing $80M in a facility for propulsion tank and spacecraft parts manufacturing. Both join existing aerospace tenants Agile Space Industries and Lufthansa Technik Component Services on the same campus, all competing for electricians with precision-manufacturing experience.
Is Tulsa's aerospace demand connected to Oklahoma City's defense pipeline?
They're related but distinct. Oklahoma City's Tinker AFB pipeline is a defense/military depot and B-21 program story requiring base-access clearance, while Tulsa's airport campus is a commercial aerospace manufacturing story (composites, propulsion, spacecraft parts) that doesn't require the same clearance. Both track under the same Oklahoma CIB licensing structure.
How does electrical contractor licensing work in Tulsa?
Oklahoma licenses electrical contractors statewide through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) - the same structure that applies across Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City. Requirements are tiered by scope (residential vs. unlimited/commercial), and electrical contractors need a $5,000 contractor license bond.
What do electricians earn in Tulsa?
BLS puts the Tulsa median for electricians at $62,280 a year, about the same as the $63,190 national median. That ranks 60th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. The range is unusually wide: $38,820 at the bottom tenth against $94,890 at the top tenth, a 2.4x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median. No other Oklahoma metro we cover pays more for this work (Oklahoma City: $61,010).
Is it hard to hire electricians in Tulsa?
Not by national standards. Electricians make up 23% more of the Tulsa workforce than they do nationally, about 2,750 people. The 206 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 15 employees per location. With 16% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial electrical roles pay the most in Tulsa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman pays the most in Tulsa, a $75,000 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Industrial Equipment Repairer at $70,090, 7% below it. Electrician Helper / Apprentice is the lowest-paid field role at $46,770. Relative to national pay, Electrician Helper / Apprentice is the strongest-paying role here (10% above). Controls / Instrumentation Technician trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Tulsa?
BLS counted 206 nonresidential electrical contractors in Tulsa in 2023, employing about 3,104 people between them. Up from 177 in 2018, a 16% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 15 people per location. They pay an average of $70,310, 17% below the $84,633 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Tulsa for electricians?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Oklahoma City (98 miles, about 3,100, $61,010 median), Wichita (130 miles, about 1,610, $65,670 median) and Kansas City (218 miles, about 5,400, $76,860 median). Kansas City has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Wichita pays 5% more, which is where Tulsa employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial electrical in Tulsa?
Tell us the role and the project. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source - in under 30 minutes.