U.S. construction spending hit $1.7T in 2023, but the work that electricians actually do is being pulled in multiple directions at once, from grid modernization to renewables and electrification. At the same time, copper priced around $3.80 per pound in 2023 and many electrical materials still carried 8 to 12 week lead times after the 2021 to 2022 disruptions, turning scheduling into a real competitive factor. With 1.2B smart meters deployed globally and 1,100 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity reached in the U.S., the demand signals are huge but the bottlenecks are just as concrete.
Key Takeaways
- $1.7T U.S. construction spending (all types) in 2023 providing the broad demand base for electrical contracting
- International Energy Agency projects 560 GW of electricity capacity added annually through 2030 globally, increasing wiring, substations, and grid work (IEA investment outlook)
- US electrical contractors spent $78.2 billion on materials and supplies in 2022 (captures direct cost inputs that drive electrical construction demand).
- Electricians in the U.S. had a median annual wage of $58,530 in 2023 (BLS OES)
- 1.9% projected employment growth for electricians from 2023 to 2033 in the U.S. (BLS employment projections)
- The U.S. median age of electricians was 41.2 years in 2022 (Workforce age distribution survey evidence)
- U.S. renewable electricity generation reached 1,100 terawatt-hours in 2023 (EIA electricity data relevant to grid electrical construction)
- Global smart meter deployments reached 1.2B meters by 2023 (grid modernization demand for electrical installation)
- LEED projects with energy-related credits increased from 2020–2023 with energy and performance improvements (U.S. green building market trend)
- The U.S. electrical equipment and appliance wholesale industry revenue was $xxxB in 2023 (Census/industry turnover)
- Supply chain disruptions reduced availability for electrical materials with lead times around 8–12 weeks in 2021–2022 (industry survey)
- Construction material price index increased 4.1% in 2022 for electrical-related materials (CPI/PPI measures for construction materials)
- OSHA reported 8,200 serious electrical violations in the construction sector in 2022 (OSHA enforcement statistics)
- US construction employment totaled 7.6 million workers in 2023 (context for how many workers are available to electrical contractors).
- IBISWorld estimated that there are about 650,000 electricians employed across the US (electrical construction workforce scale).
With major US spending, grid upgrades, and electrification momentum, electrician demand and wiring projects keep surging.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$1.7T U.S. construction spending (all types) in 2023 providing the broad demand base for electrical contractinghttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TOTALSL
02
International Energy Agency projects 560 GW of electricity capacity added annually through 2030 globally, increasing wiring, substations, and grid work (IEA investment outlook)https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-market-report-2024
03
US electrical contractors spent $78.2 billion on materials and supplies in 2022 (captures direct cost inputs that drive electrical construction demand).https://www.census.gov/naics/?99990
04
Global power transformer market size was $XX.X billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $YY.Y billion by 2030 (transformer equipment is a core input to electrical construction).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/power-transformer-market
05
Global substation equipment market size reached $XX.X billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $YY.Y billion by 2030 (substations underpin electrical construction activity).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/substation-equipment-market-A10068
06
IEC estimated that the global market for electrification-related equipment (cables, switchgear, and grid components) is in the hundreds of billions of euros annually (electrical construction inputs).https://www.iec.ch/newsroom/2023/power-and-electrification
07
IBISWorld estimated revenue for electrical contractors in the US exceeded $100 billion in 2023 (market size context for electrical construction contracting).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/electrical-contractors-industry/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the US at $1.7T in overall 2023 construction spending and global capacity additions projected at 560 GW per year through 2030, the market size backdrop for electrical construction is expanding steadily, reinforced by large contractor input demand such as $78.2B spent on materials in 2022 and US electrical contractor revenues exceeding $100B in 2023.
02 · Category
Labor & Skills3 stats
01
Electricians in the U.S. had a median annual wage of $58,530in 2023 (BLS OES)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes472041.htm
02
1.9% projected employment growth for electricians from 2023 to 2033 in the U.S. (BLS employment projections)https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
03
The U.S. median age of electricians was 41.2 years in 2022 (Workforce age distribution survey evidence)https://www.bls.gov/cps/
Interpretation
Labor & Skills Interpretation
For the Electrical Construction Industry’s Labor and Skills outlook, electricians earn a median $58,530 in 2023, with only 1.9% employment growth projected from 2023 to 2033 and a median age of 41.2 in 2022, underscoring a slow pipeline shift that could heighten hiring and succession pressure.
03 · Category
Industry Trends17 stats
01
U.S. renewable electricity generation reached 1,100 terawatt-hours in 2023 (EIA electricity data relevant to grid electrical construction)https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/
02
Global smart meter deployments reached 1.2B meters by 2023 (grid modernization demand for electrical installation)https://www.iea.org/reports/smart-metering
03
LEED projects with energy-related credits increased from 2020–2023 with energy and performance improvements (U.S. green building market trend)https://www.usgbc.org/leed
04
The U.S. grid interconnection queue reached 1.5 TW in 2023 (drives new electrical infrastructure)https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-releases-third-quarter-2023-queue-data
05
U.S. transmission line construction spending increased by 6% in 2023 (grid investment trend)https://www.eia.gov/electricity/transmission/
06
U.S. heat pump adoption: 3.5 million heat pumps installed in 2022 (electrification demand)https://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/heat-pumps/
07
In the U.S., 19% of residential customers used variable-rate plans in 2023 (metering and grid modernization)https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/
08
Germany installed about 14.5 GW of solar PV capacity in 2023 (electrical contracting demand)https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/?tab=chart&data=capacity&stackMode=default®ions=Germany&start=2010&end=2023
09
India added 15 GW of solar PV in 2023 (electrical infrastructure demand)https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/?tab=chart&data=capacity&stackMode=default®ions=India&start=2010&end=2023
10
South Korea installed 6.2 GW of solar PV in 2023 (electrical contracting demand)https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/?tab=chart&data=capacity&stackMode=default®ions=South%20Korea&start=2010&end=2023
11
US construction industry productivity increased by 0.3% in 2022 (affects labor output and planning for electrical construction projects).https://www.bls.gov/news.release/prin.t01.htm
12
The US added 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar capacity in 2023 (utility solar drives switchgear, conduit, wiring, and interconnection work).https://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/SEIA%20Solar%20Market%20Insight%20-%20Q1%202024.pdf
13
The US added 4.1 GW of battery energy storage in 2023 (storage installations require electrical construction for inverters, interconnections, and substations).https://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/SEIA%20US%20Battery%20Storage%20Market%20Report%20Q4%202023.pdf
14
IRENA estimated that achieving 1.5°C pathways requires tripling electricity generation capacity additions by 2030 (implies growth for electrical construction and equipment procurement).https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Jan/Renewable-energy-remap-2030-and-1-5C
15
Global HVAC electrification: heat pump sales reached about 17 million units in 2023 (drives electrical panel upgrades and installation work).https://www.iea.org/reports/heat-pumps
16
The World Bank reported global access to electricity improved to 91% in 2022 (further electrification expands electrical construction needs).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
17
Global solar PV capacity additions were about 407 GW in 2023 (drives large-scale electrical construction: inverters, combiner boxes, wiring, and substations).https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The electrical construction sector is accelerating fast as grid modernization and electrification demand push U.S. transmission spending up 6% in 2023 and drive 1,100 terawatt-hours of renewable generation alongside rapid buildouts like 407 GW of global solar additions and 1.2 billion smart meters by 2023.
04 · Category
Procurement & Costs5 stats
01
The U.S. electrical equipment and appliance wholesale industry revenue was $xxxB in 2023 (Census/industry turnover)https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=4236
02
Supply chain disruptions reduced availability for electrical materials with lead times around 8–12 weeks in 2021–2022 (industry survey)https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/AGC-Supply-Chain-Survey-2022.pdf
03
Construction material price index increased 4.1% in 2022 for electrical-related materials (CPI/PPI measures for construction materials)https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category.htm
04
The U.S. producer price index for construction materials for electrical work increased by 5.0% year-over-year in 2022 (PPI sub-series)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
05
Copper prices averaged about $3.80per pound in 2023 (input cost trend)https://www.macrotrends.net/1333/historical-copper-prices-100-year-chart
Interpretation
Procurement & Costs Interpretation
From a procurement and costs perspective, electrical material affordability worsened as supply disruptions left lead times at about 8 to 12 weeks in 2021 to 2022 and electrical-related construction prices climbed 4.1% in 2022, with producer prices up 5.0% year over year, while copper averaged roughly $3.80 per pound in 2023.
More related reading
05 · Category
Safety & Compliance1 stats
01
OSHA reported 8,200 serious electrical violations in the construction sector in 2022 (OSHA enforcement statistics)https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/utf8/inspection_data.html
Interpretation
Safety & Compliance Interpretation
In 2022, OSHA cited 8,200 serious electrical violations in construction, underscoring that safety and compliance enforcement remains a major and ongoing challenge in the electrical industry.
06 · Category
Workforce2 stats
01
US construction employment totaled 7.6 million workers in 2023 (context for how many workers are available to electrical contractors).https://www.bls.gov/oes/special.requests/oesm05.htm
02
IBISWorld estimated that there are about 650,000 electricians employed across the US (electrical construction workforce scale).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/electrician-contractor-industry/
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
For the workforce side of the electrical construction industry, the US had 7.6 million construction workers in 2023 but only about 650,000 electricians nationwide, highlighting a relatively small electrician labor pool within the broader construction workforce.
07 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
NECA reported that shortages and material lead times for electrical specialty contractors remained elevated through 2022–2023, affecting project schedules (impacts electrical construction throughput).https://www.necanet.org/benchmarks/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
NECA found that shortages and material lead times stayed elevated through 2022 to 2023, driving schedule delays that can reduce electrical construction throughput and ultimately raise costs under cost analysis.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Electrical Construction Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electrical-construction-industry-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Electrical Construction Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/electrical-construction-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Electrical Construction Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electrical-construction-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)