A home Level 2 EV charger installation runs about $1,800 at the national median electrician wage in 2026. Across the 173 metros in this study it ranges from roughly $1,560 in the least expensive metro (Ocala, FL) to about $2,460 in the most expensive (Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA), a spread of about $900 that is driven entirely by local electrician labor, because the charger hardware and the materials are priced nationally.
We estimated every metro the same way: hold the equipment and materials at their national cost, then flex only the labor portion by the local electrician wage reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because labor is the only input that moves from place to place, the cost ranking simply follows the wage ranking, metro by metro. That is the whole story of the spread, and the rest of this page shows it in a map, a ranked chart, and the full table.
The federal tax credit that offsets part of a home EV charger installation expires on June 30, 2026. For installs completed on or after July 1, 2026, no federal credit is available, and the dollar figures on this page are full retail estimates that do not subtract any incentive.1
The $1,800 headline is the estimated install at the national median electrician wage, which is $30.38 per hour for electricians in the May 2025 BLS data. It is the right single number to anchor on. For reference, the simple average across the 289 cities in this study works out to about $1,920, which sits above the $1,800 figure only because the studied cities skew toward higher-wage metros. That $1,920 is a study average, not a national average, and it should not be read as one.
Take Minneapolis as a worked example. The metro electrician median is $39.37 per hour, about 30 percent above the national median, so the estimate comes to about $2,090. That places Minneapolis 40th of the 289 cities in this study, which is 18th of the 173 ranked metros once cities in the same metro are combined.
Each point is one metro at its Census centroid, colored and sized by the estimated Level 2 install. Sage is lower cost, terracotta is higher. With JavaScript on, the map is interactive; with it off, the same map renders below and every value is in the table further down.
Estimated Level 2 install, ranked. Every bar is labeled with its dollar value. This chart is plain SVG and needs no JavaScript.
Rank is out of 173 metros, by estimated install cost. Electrician wage is the metro hourly median for SOC 47-2111 in the BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The three highlighted metros have a documented local electrical permit fee, shown as a separate add-on.
| Rank | Metro | State | Electrician median wage | Est. install |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $50.53 | $2,457 |
| 2 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $49.21 | $2,414 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $48.93 | $2,404 |
| 4 | Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $48.21 | $2,381 |
| 5 | Bend, OR | OR | $47.69 | $2,364 |
| 6 | Salem, OR | OR | $47.53 | $2,359 |
| 7 | Fairbanks-College, AK | AK | $47.05 | $2,343 |
| 8 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | OR | $45.52 | $2,293 |
| 9 | Rockford, IL | IL | $44.85 | $2,272 |
| 10 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $44.63 | $2,264 |
| 11 | Medford, OR | OR | $44.43 | $2,258 |
| 12 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $43.77 | $2,236 |
| 13 | Springfield, IL | IL | $40.76 | $2,138 |
| 14 | Mankato, MN | MN | $39.96 | $2,112 |
| 15 | Duluth, MN-WI | MN | $39.76 | $2,106 |
| 16 | Anchorage, AK | AK | $39.63 | $2,101 |
| 17 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | MI | $39.42 | $2,095 |
| 18 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (permit $35 to $300 extra) | MN | $39.37 | $2,093 |
| 19 | St. Cloud, MN | MN | $39.37 | $2,093 |
| 20 | Ann Arbor, MI | MI | $39.16 | $2,086 |
| 21 | Billings, MT | MT | $38.93 | $2,079 |
| 22 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | MI | $38.69 | $2,071 |
| 23 | Peoria, IL | IL | $38.68 | $2,070 |
| 24 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $38.42 | $2,062 |
| 25 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | WA | $38.38 | $2,061 |
| 26 | Rochester, MN | MN | $38.29 | $2,058 |
| 27 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $38.25 | $2,056 |
| 28 | Evansville, IN | IN | $38.10 | $2,052 |
| 29 | Missoula, MT | MT | $38.10 | $2,052 |
| 30 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $37.99 | $2,048 |
| 31 | Lewiston-Auburn, ME | ME | $37.71 | $2,039 |
| 32 | Madison, WI | WI | $37.71 | $2,039 |
| 33 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | NY | $37.47 | $2,031 |
| 34 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | WI | $37.41 | $2,029 |
| 35 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $37.34 | $2,027 |
| 36 | New Haven, CT | CT | $37.22 | $2,023 |
| 37 | Springfield, MA | MA | $37.22 | $2,023 |
| 38 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $37.20 | $2,022 |
| 39 | Akron, OH | OH | $37.19 | $2,022 |
| 40 | Rochester, NY | NY | $37.17 | $2,021 |
| 41 | Green Bay, WI | WI | $37.15 | $2,021 |
| 42 | St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $37.10 | $2,019 |
| 43 | Syracuse, NY | NY | $37.07 | $2,018 |
| 44 | Great Falls, MT | MT | $37.00 | $2,016 |
| 45 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | IA | $36.99 | $2,015 |
| 46 | Fargo, ND-MN | ND | $36.99 | $2,015 |
| 47 | Kansas City, MO-KS | MO | $36.95 | $2,014 |
| 48 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | CA | $36.74 | $2,007 |
| 49 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $36.62 | $2,003 |
| 50 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $36.50 | $1,999 |
| 51 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | CA | $36.47 | $1,998 |
| 52 | Waterbury-Shelton, CT | CT | $36.47 | $1,998 |
| 53 | Worcester, MA | MA | $36.30 | $1,993 |
| 54 | Kenosha, WI | WI | $36.04 | $1,984 |
| 55 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $36.01 | $1,983 |
| 56 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $35.98 | $1,982 |
| 57 | Toledo, OH | OH | $35.92 | $1,981 |
| 58 | Cheyenne, WY | WY | $35.86 | $1,979 |
| 59 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | PA | $35.86 | $1,979 |
| 60 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | RI | $35.57 | $1,969 |
| 61 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $35.49 | $1,967 |
| 62 | Reno, NV | NV | $35.00 | $1,951 |
| 63 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | CA | $35.00 | $1,951 |
| 64 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | TN | $34.77 | $1,943 |
| 65 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | PA | $34.53 | $1,935 |
| 66 | Fresno, CA | CA | $34.48 | $1,934 |
| 67 | Portland-South Portland, ME | ME | $34.45 | $1,933 |
| 68 | Fort Wayne, IN | IN | $34.27 | $1,927 |
| 69 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | NV | $34.08 | $1,921 |
| 70 | Cleveland, OH | OH | $34.07 | $1,920 |
| 71 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | ND | $33.51 | $1,902 |
| 72 | Casper, WY | WY | $33.48 | $1,901 |
| 73 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | PA | $33.44 | $1,900 |
| 74 | Pittsburgh, PA | PA | $33.34 | $1,896 |
| 75 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | VT | $32.14 | $1,857 |
| 76 | Appleton, WI | WI | $32.13 | $1,857 |
| 77 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | PA | $31.97 | $1,852 |
| 78 | Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | MI | $31.58 | $1,839 |
| 79 | Wichita, KS | KS | $31.57 | $1,839 |
| 80 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $31.54 | $1,838 |
| 81 | Topeka, KS | KS | $31.50 | $1,836 |
| 82 | Idaho Falls, ID | ID | $31.42 | $1,834 |
| 83 | Baton Rouge, LA | LA | $31.41 | $1,834 |
| 84 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | IN | $31.31 | $1,830 |
| 85 | Charleston, WV | WV | $31.17 | $1,826 |
| 86 | Columbus, OH | OH | $31.11 | $1,824 |
| 87 | Boulder, CO | CO | $30.83 | $1,815 |
| 88 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $30.81 | $1,814 |
| 89 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | WV | $30.59 | $1,807 |
| 90 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | OH | $30.53 | $1,805 |
| 91 | Bangor, ME | ME | $30.48 | $1,803 |
| 92 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | TN | $30.45 | $1,802 |
| 93 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $30.36 | $1,799 |
| 94 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | IA | $30.21 | $1,794 |
| 95 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | UT | $30.11 | $1,791 |
| 96 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | LA | $30.04 | $1,789 |
| 97 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | MS | $30.02 | $1,788 |
| 98 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | KY | $30.02 | $1,788 |
| 99 | Omaha, NE-IA | NE | $30.02 | $1,788 |
| 100 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | VA | $29.98 | $1,787 |
| 101 | Tulsa, OK | OK | $29.94 | $1,786 |
| 102 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | MI | $29.92 | $1,785 |
| 103 | Ogden, UT | UT | $29.82 | $1,782 |
| 104 | Bismarck, ND | ND | $29.76 | $1,780 |
| 105 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | OH | $29.75 | $1,779 |
| 106 | Mobile, AL | AL | $29.68 | $1,777 |
| 107 | Boise City, ID | ID | $29.62 | $1,775 |
| 108 | Columbia, MO | MO | $29.57 | $1,774 |
| 109 | Sioux Falls, SD-MN | SD | $29.55 | $1,773 |
| 110 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | CO | $29.52 | $1,772 |
| 111 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | TX | $29.51 | $1,772 |
| 112 | Richmond, VA | VA | $29.50 | $1,771 |
| 113 | Flagstaff, AZ | AZ | $29.49 | $1,771 |
| 114 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (permit $195 to $500 extra) | AZ | $29.43 | $1,769 |
| 115 | Rapid City, SD | SD | $29.40 | $1,768 |
| 116 | Oklahoma City, OK | OK | $29.33 | $1,766 |
| 117 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | TN | $29.27 | $1,764 |
| 118 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | UT | $29.26 | $1,764 |
| 119 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | LA | $29.25 | $1,763 |
| 120 | Dover, DE | DE | $29.21 | $1,762 |
| 121 | Lincoln, NE | NE | $29.17 | $1,761 |
| 122 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | TX | $29.03 | $1,756 |
| 123 | Columbia, SC | SC | $29.03 | $1,756 |
| 124 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | SC | $28.95 | $1,753 |
| 125 | Tuscaloosa, AL | AL | $28.90 | $1,752 |
| 126 | Naples-Marco Island, FL | FL | $28.86 | $1,750 |
| 127 | Lafayette, LA | LA | $28.76 | $1,747 |
| 128 | Midland, TX | TX | $28.62 | $1,743 |
| 129 | Tucson, AZ | AZ | $28.60 | $1,742 |
| 130 | Corpus Christi, TX | TX | $28.56 | $1,741 |
| 131 | Colorado Springs, CO | CO | $28.47 | $1,738 |
| 132 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | NC | $28.47 | $1,738 |
| 133 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $28.45 | $1,737 |
| 134 | Albuquerque, NM | NM | $28.43 | $1,736 |
| 135 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | NC | $28.41 | $1,736 |
| 136 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | SC | $28.37 | $1,734 |
| 137 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | TX | $28.37 | $1,734 |
| 138 | Clarksville, TN-KY | TN | $28.21 | $1,729 |
| 139 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (permit $175 to $500 extra) | GA | $28.20 | $1,729 |
| 140 | Knoxville, TN | TN | $28.19 | $1,729 |
| 141 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | FL | $28.19 | $1,729 |
| 142 | Port St. Lucie, FL | FL | $28.14 | $1,727 |
| 143 | Huntsville, AL | AL | $28.13 | $1,727 |
| 144 | Savannah, GA | GA | $28.09 | $1,725 |
| 145 | Jacksonville, FL | FL | $28.02 | $1,723 |
| 146 | Roanoke, VA | VA | $27.98 | $1,722 |
| 147 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | FL | $27.85 | $1,718 |
| 148 | Fayetteville, NC | NC | $27.74 | $1,714 |
| 149 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | FL | $27.62 | $1,710 |
| 150 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | KY | $27.56 | $1,708 |
| 151 | Santa Fe, NM | NM | $27.52 | $1,707 |
| 152 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | TX | $27.41 | $1,703 |
| 153 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | NC | $27.31 | $1,700 |
| 154 | Birmingham, AL | AL | $27.23 | $1,697 |
| 155 | Springfield, MO | MO | $27.21 | $1,697 |
| 156 | St. George, UT | UT | $27.17 | $1,695 |
| 157 | Winston-Salem, NC | NC | $26.97 | $1,689 |
| 158 | Gainesville, FL | FL | $26.77 | $1,682 |
| 159 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | FL | $26.40 | $1,670 |
| 160 | Asheville, NC | NC | $26.25 | $1,665 |
| 161 | Wilmington, NC | NC | $26.00 | $1,657 |
| 162 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | AR | $25.24 | $1,632 |
| 163 | Jackson, MS | MS | $25.15 | $1,630 |
| 164 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | FL | $24.97 | $1,624 |
| 165 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | FL | $24.43 | $1,606 |
| 166 | Cedar Rapids, IA | IA | $24.15 | $1,597 |
| 167 | Montgomery, AL | AL | $23.99 | $1,592 |
| 168 | Athens-Clarke County, GA | GA | $23.92 | $1,589 |
| 169 | Killeen-Temple, TX | TX | $23.88 | $1,588 |
| 170 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | AR | $23.67 | $1,581 |
| 171 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | AR | $23.17 | $1,565 |
| 172 | El Paso, TX | TX | $23.14 | $1,564 |
| 173 | Ocala, FL | FL | $22.93 | $1,557 |
All 289 cities in the study, alphabetical, each mapped to its metro and estimated install. This list is server-rendered and needs no JavaScript.
The spread is a wage story from end to end. The highest electrician medians in the May 2025 BLS data sit in the Pacific Northwest: the Portland, Bend, Salem, and Eugene metros in Oregon all rank in the top eight for install cost, alongside Seattle. The lowest medians cluster across the South: Ocala and Orlando in Florida, El Paso in Texas, and Little Rock and Fayetteville in Arkansas sit at the bottom of the table. A high-wage metro and a low-wage metro can differ by more than twenty dollars an hour in the electrician median, and that gap is what moves the install estimate.
We report this as a wage observation and stop there. The figures show where electrician wages are high and where they are low, and the install ranking tracks that pattern by construction. We do not assert a single cause for why one region pays electricians more than another, because that would go beyond what the wage data alone supports.
Published: June 24, 2026
Wage source: BLS OEWS, SOC 47-2111 Electricians, May 2025.
Coverage: 173 metros ranked, 289 cities listed, 2 state nonmetro fallbacks noted.
These are modeled estimates, not measured local prices. Always get quotes from licensed contractors before budgeting.
