# Helpers--Electricians

US SOC code 47-3013. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/47-3013

Also called: Electrician helper, Apprentice electrician, Electrical helper, Electrician apprentice, Electrical apprentice.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **63,630** US helpers of electricians, with median pay of **$42,670** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **104,050**, in May 2008. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html) of **50,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for helpers of electricians: Digital takeoff software + mobile plan-viewing, 2005 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to change +0.6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-3013&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Helpers--Electricians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1882
- Latest US employment: 63,630 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $42,670 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +0.6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 30 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., 1900 Census Special Reports [1] |
| 1919 | 148,072 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / IBEW historical records [2] |
| 1927 | n/a | $2,200 (estimate) | Est., EC&M [6] |
| 1941 | 90,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / NJATC [3] |
| 1970 | 200,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / IBEW historical records [2] |
| 1980 | n/a | $11,000 (estimate) | Est., FRASER [7] |
| 2000 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics [4] |
| 2003 | 93,520 | $23,450 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 92,820 | $23,420 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 90,370 | $23,240 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 100,550 | $23,760 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 101,370 | $24,880 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 104,050 | $26,390 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 90,930 | $26,760 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 72,390 | $27,220 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 65,300 | $27,620 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 59,610 | $27,670 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 63,660 | $27,720 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 68,280 | $27,940 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 71,610 | $28,730 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 71,890 | $29,530 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 72,580 | $30,540 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 75,970 | $31,410 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 79,260 | $32,830 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 73,920 | $33,840 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 72,150 | $36,360 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 71,000 | $37,070 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 68,670 | $38,340 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 64,440 | $39,890 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 63,630 | $42,670 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (78)

### Employment series

1. [1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (Census Bureau, 1904)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), U.S. Census Bureau
2. [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — Wikipedia (membership history: 23,500 in 1913 to 148,072 in 1919)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers), Wikipedia / IBEW historical records
3. [National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee — Wikipedia (NJATC established 1941 by IBEW and NECA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Joint_Apprenticeship_and_Training_Committee), Wikipedia / NJATC
4. [BLS Occupational Employment and Wages 2000 bulletin (SOC 47-3013 introduced as separate OEWS category)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/bulletin_2000.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [EC&M — "The 1920s (1920-1929)" (1927 national wage survey of electrical contractors; journeyman wireman wages referenced)](https://www.ecmweb.com/content/article/20886021/the-1920s-1920-1929), Electrical Construction and Maintenance (EC&M)
7. [FRASER — BLS Bulletin 2091, Union Wages and Benefits: Building Trades, July 1, 1980 (electrician apprentice wage scale)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_2091_1981.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRASER Federal Reserve Archive
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

9. [Wikipedia — Knob-and-tube wiring (history and installation method)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knob-and-tube_wiring), Wikipedia
10. [National Electrical Code — Wikipedia (NEC first published 1897, addressed knob-and-tube era hazards)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Electrical_Code), Wikipedia
11. [National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee — Wikipedia (NJATC established 1941, NEC study requirement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Joint_Apprenticeship_and_Training_Committee), Wikipedia
12. [IBEW History — IBEW Local 300 (National Apprenticeship Standards adopted August 22, 1941)](https://ibewlocal300.org/the-history-of-the-ibew.html), IBEW Local 300
13. [Wikipedia — Electrical metallic tubing (EMT history and application)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conduit), Wikipedia
14. [Electrician Apprentice HQ — Best Conduit Bending Apps 2025 (conduit bending as core helper skill)](https://electricianapprenticehq.com/best-conduit-bending-apps/), Electrician Apprentice HQ
15. [O\*NET 30.3 — Helpers--Electricians (47-3013.00): technology skills including plan-reading software](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-3013.00), O\*NET / BLS
16. [Construction Dive — How AI is spurring demand for skilled trades (2026)](https://www.constructiondive.com/news/ai-data-center-construction-workers-skilled-trades/815660/), Construction Dive
17. [Fortune — AI data center boom creates electrician shortage, Gen Z opportunity (March 2026)](https://fortune.com/2026/03/02/ai-data-centers-electrician-shortage-gen-z-training-careers/), Fortune
18. [ABLEMKR — State of Skilled Electrical Labor 2026 (apprenticeship application surge, demand projections)](https://ablemkr.com/the-state-of-skilled-electrical-labor-2026/), ABLEMKR

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 47-3013 Helpers--electricians (2025: 65.0 thousand; 2035: 65.4 thousand; +0.6%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-3013&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 47-3013.00, human-rated β 0)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — Wikipedia (Pearl Street Station 1882, birth of the electrical trade)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers), Wikipedia / IBEW
22. [National Electrical Code — Wikipedia (NEC first published 1897)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Electrical_Code), Wikipedia
23. [National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee — Wikipedia (NJATC standards adopted August 22, 1941)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Joint_Apprenticeship_and_Training_Committee), Wikipedia
24. [Fortune — AI data center boom creates electrician shortage, Gen Z opportunity (March 2026)](https://fortune.com/2026/03/02/ai-data-centers-electrician-shortage-gen-z-training-careers/), Fortune

### Predecessors & successors

25. [IBEW History — founding context: wiremen's helpers were often general laborers who gravitated toward the new electrical trade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers), Wikipedia / IBEW

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Helpers--Electricians (47-3013.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-3013.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Helpers--Electricians wage and employment data (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Fortune — AI data center boom creates electrician shortage, Gen Z opportunity (March 2026)](https://fortune.com/2026/03/02/ai-data-centers-electrician-shortage-gen-z-training-careers/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Construction Dive — How AI is spurring demand for skilled trades (2026)](https://www.constructiondive.com/news/ai-data-center-construction-workers-skilled-trades/815660/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [ABLEMKR — State of Skilled Electrical Labor 2026](https://ablemkr.com/the-state-of-skilled-electrical-labor-2026/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Wispr Flow — voice dictation for job sites](https://wisprflow.ai/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [STACK Construction Technologies — Electrical Estimating Software](https://www.stackct.com/electrical-estimating-software/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [IDEAL Electrical — Electrician's Sidekick app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.electriciansidekick&hl=en_US), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.