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Licensed electricians in Polk County, IA, Greater Des Moines Metro Area: Workforce, Wages & Demand

Licensed supply, credential mix, wages and demand for electricians in Polk County, IA, from the state register (updated nightly) and BLS.

Polk County, IA carries 329 licensed electricians and a median wage of $62,840/yr ($30.21/hr).

329
licensed electricians
$62,840
median annual wage (BLS OEWS, metro area)
79
construction demand index

See where electricians earn more near you

A free report on your market: what the trade pays here, where your credential sits against the local licensed workforce, and the nearby counties that pay more, with the difference and the distance. No account needed.

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How the pay compares

This county sits at the 53rd percentile nationally for electricians pay, above the median US county. Average weekly wages across the county's construction trades rose 0.4% year over year (BLS QCEW).

Where electricians earn more near Polk County

Counties within 150 miles whose published median for this occupation is higher than Polk County's. Medians from the same BLS OEWS series shown above, not offers, and pay is only one reason to move.

CountyMedianDifferenceDistance
Henderson County, IL$99,560+$36,720149 mi
DeKalb County, MO$97,350+$34,510131 mi
Andrew County, MO$97,350+$34,510134 mi
Freeborn County, MN$78,160+$15,320138 mi
Faribault County, MN$78,160+$15,320139 mi

Licensed workforce by level

Apprentice91
Intermediate6
Journeyman187
Master30
Contractor15

Licensed Electrician contractors near Polk County

Active, licensed firms and master-tier individuals on the IA register.

NameTier
Apex Electrical LLCContractor
Bartlett ElectricContractor
Bennigsdorf ElectricContractor
Carver ElectricContractor
Code ElectricContractor
Enny Power Of Iowa, LLCContractor
H & G ElectricContractor
M. C. ElectricContractor
Master Electric LLCContractor
Neuwerth ElectricContractor
Alaric O AhlersMaster
Andrew C DwyerMaster
Austin C BixbyMaster
Blake D PenquiteMaster
Brandon G BonjourMaster
Brandon L McNaughtonMaster

Polk County within the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro

Polk County holds 64% of the metro area's 518 licensed electricians (the largest electricians pool among its 6 counties), at 6.5 per 10,000 residents against 7.0 metro-wide.

Who entered and left in the last 12 months

Counted from ATI's nightly diff of the IA register itself, over the trailing year. Runs that failed a data-quality gate are excluded, so a scraper outage is never reported as workers leaving.

MovementWorkersWhat it means
New licenses issued13People who entered the licensed workforce here.
Licenses lapsed34Expired or not renewed. Retirement, relocation or leaving the trade.
Moved up a credential tier12Apprentice to journeyman, journeyman to master, and so on.
Net change-21New licenses minus lapsed. Negative means the licensed base shrank.

Who employs electricians here

Employment from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages for the industry this trade sits in; payroll from the Census County Business Patterns. Establishment counts are QCEW where the county is disclosed and an ATI estimate otherwise.

MeasureValueWhat it counts
Employer establishments139Physical business locations in this industry.
Industry employment4,294Everyone on those payrolls, not only licensed trades.
Annual industry payroll$186MTotal wages paid across those establishments (Census CBP, 2023).

How much work is in Polk County

County-wide construction activity, across all trades rather than electricians specifically. Each figure names its source and the period it covers.

MeasureValueWhat it means for you
New housing units permitted4,730Last full year, county-wide. 94 per 10,000 residents. Permits lead construction hiring by months, so this is the earliest honest signal of work arriving (Census Building Permits Survey).
Construction employment15,674Everyone working in construction in this county, all trades and office staff. Average pay $1,716 per week. BLS QCEW.
Median year homes were built1982Older stock means more repair, replacement and retrofit work, which is steadier than new build and does not stop in a downturn (Census ACS).
Net migration-278People who moved in minus people who moved out, from IRS address changes. Arrivals need housing, wiring, plumbing and heat.

Density and pipeline

6.4 licensed electricians per 10,000 residents; 11 licensed holders per 100 estimated workers in the trade; 13.1 apprentices per 10,000 residents. A thin pipeline against an ageing licensed base is how a shortage forms years before it shows up in wages.

Common questions

How many licensed electricians are in Polk County, IA?
Polk County has 329 licensed electricians on the IA register.
What do electricians earn in Polk County?
The median annual wage for this occupation in this market is $62,840 ($30.21/hour), per BLS OEWS.
Is this a job board?
No. This page is ATI's own licensed-workforce and market data for this county and trade. Job listings above, where present, are an additive real-time layer, not the page's core content.
Is this page for Des Moines specifically?
This page covers all of Polk County, IA, which is part of the Greater Des Moines metro area (the Census-defined metro this county belongs to), so it includes but is not limited to Des Moines proper.

License register: 2026-10-05; Wages: 2025-05-31; Demand: 2026-10-05; Apprenticeship: 2025-12-31.

Related pages

County
Polk County, IA skilled trades market
HVAC Technician
HVAC Technicians in Polk County, IA
Plumber
Plumbers in Polk County, IA
Market
Iowa licensed trades supply
Statewide
How many electricians in Iowa
This number changes tonight.

This page is a free snapshot of electricians in Polk County, IA. Track the same market every night and see which contractors just got licensed, added a trade, or dropped off, and pull the full record, with contact details where available, on any of them. Get the weekly intelligence email on the markets you follow. ATI is in private beta; apply for access.

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