Skilled Wages

Pennsylvania prevailing wage rates, by county

What contractors must pay each trade on federally funded jobs in Pennsylvania, county by county. Wage plus fringe, next to what the same trade earns on private work.

$82.64/hrTypical union electrician ratewage + fringe, per hour
94%Counties on a union rateelectricians, Building
110Wage determinationsPennsylvania
Oct 15Latest change2026, SAM.gov

Look up the prevailing wage in your Pennsylvania county

Pick a county and type of construction to see every trade with its wage, fringe and total.

Rates by county for the main trades

Rates are set by county, not by city. The Pennsylvania metros with their own pay pages are Philadelphia (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and more); Pittsburgh (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and more). Click any county below for every trade on its determination.

Electrician prevailing wage, $/hr, PAAdams: $64.24 (union)Allegheny: $85.90 (union)Armstrong: $85.90 (union)Beaver: $81.22 (union)Bedford: $82.64 (union)Berks: $74.00 (union)Blair: $82.64 (union)Bradford: $71.26 (union)Bucks: $110.18 (union)Butler: $85.90 (union)Cambria: $85.90 (union)Cameron: $82.64 (union)Carbon: $75.93 (union)Centre: $82.64 (union)Chester: $110.18 (union)Clarion: $85.90 (union)Clearfield: $82.64 (union)Clinton: $82.64 (union)Columbia: n/aCrawford: $81.22 (union)Cumberland: $67.42 (union)Dauphin: $67.42 (union)Delaware: $92.68 (union)Elk: $82.64 (union)Erie: $69.81 (union)Fayette: $85.90 (union)Forest: $85.90 (union)Franklin: $67.42 (union)Fulton: $82.64 (union)Greene: $85.90 (union)Huntingdon: $82.64 (union)Indiana: $85.90 (union)Jefferson: $82.64 (union)Juniata: $44.44 (survey)Lackawanna: $71.26 (union)Lancaster: $74.00 (union)Lawrence: $81.22 (union)Lebanon: $67.42 (union)Lehigh: $75.93 (union)Luzerne: $70.43 (union)Lycoming: n/aMcKean: $82.64 (union)Mercer: $81.22 (union)Mifflin: $40.48 (survey)Monroe: $107.63 (union)Montgomery: $110.18 (union)Montour: n/aNorthampton: $75.93 (union)Northumberland: $72.06 (union)Perry: $67.42 (union)Philadelphia: $122.07 (union)Pike: $107.63 (union)Potter: $68.02 (union)Schuylkill: $46.10 (survey)Snyder: $72.06 (union)Somerset: $82.64 (union)Sullivan: $71.26 (union)Susquehanna: $71.26 (union)Tioga: $66.98 (union)Union: $45.71 (survey)Venango: $85.90 (union)Warren: $85.90 (union)Washington: n/aWayne: $71.26 (union)Westmoreland: n/aWyoming: $71.26 (union)York: $64.24 (union)Electrician prevailing wage, $/hr$68.38$74.77$82.64$85.90n/asurvey rate
Electrician prevailing wage (wage + fringe), Building construction, by county in Pennsylvania. Hatched: survey rate.

Highest electrician rates

  1. 1Philadelphia$122.07
  2. 2Bucks, Chester, Montgomery$110.18
  3. 3Monroe, Pike$107.63

Lowest

  1. 1Mifflin$40.48
  2. 2Juniata$44.44
  3. 3Union$45.71

Building construction, wage + fringe per hour. Counties sharing one rate are grouped. Solid is a union rate, hatched is a survey rate. Click a county for every trade.

Union contract rateSurvey rate (marked * in the table)
CountyElectricianPlumberCarpenterConstruction laborerHeavy equipment operatorIronworkerSheet metal workerPainter
Adams$64.24$70.81$23.40*$17.35*$31.23*$69.89$85.61$42.14
Allegheny$85.90$74.12$58.98$39.97$56.88$73.43$82.68$54.28
Armstrong$85.90$74.12$58.98$30.01*$65.74$73.43$82.68$59.73
Beaver$81.22$74.12$58.98$48.21$65.74$73.43$82.68$59.73
Bedford$82.64$66.57$55.40$28.17*$58.19$64.70$82.68$54.28
Berks$74.00$59.03*$57.03$28.06*$49.81*$69.89$85.61$49.66
Blair$82.64$74.30$51.10$27.91*$58.19$64.70$54.90*$54.28
Bradford$71.26$48.43*$54.03$29.33*$75.44$69.89$85.61$44.07
Bucks$110.18$113.59$83.36$61.17$83.40$101.80$113.28—
Butler$85.90$74.12$58.98$42.07$65.74$73.43$82.68$59.73
Cambria$85.90$74.30$51.10$27.55*$58.19$73.43$51.11*$54.28
Cameron$82.64$66.57$55.40$28.17*$58.19$64.70$82.68$54.28
Carbon$75.93$91.79$71.02$32.22*$58.44$55.47*$85.61$42.75
Centre$82.64$74.30$51.10$28.22*$58.19$64.70$54.90*$54.28
Chester$110.18$113.59$83.36$62.67$83.40$101.80$85.61—
Clarion$85.90$48.73*$54.96$46.21$58.19$73.43$82.68$54.28
Clearfield$82.64$66.57$55.40$28.29*$58.19$64.70$82.68$54.28
Clinton$82.64$50.43*$55.40$27.79*$58.19$64.70$82.68$54.28
Columbia—$70.81$57.03$37.90$45.83*$69.89$66.45$44.07
Crawford$81.22$72.45$54.96$46.21$58.19$65.80$82.68$54.28
Cumberland$67.42$70.81$36.33*$29.07*$52.31*$47.16*$56.01*$42.14
Dauphin$67.42$70.81$57.03$27.78*$58.84*$69.89$85.61$42.14
Delaware$92.68$113.59$83.36$62.67$83.40$101.80$113.28—
Elk$82.64$66.57$55.40$27.54*$58.19$64.70$82.68$54.28
Erie$69.81$72.45$55.36$24.33*$56.17$65.80$82.68$52.01

Building construction, wage + fringe per hour, current revision. * = survey rate. Not the official determination: the lookup gives the determination number and a link to the official text.

Prevailing wage vs market pay in Pennsylvania

The prevailing wage is what federally funded jobs must pay. The market median is what Pennsylvania employers report paying across all work, with no benefits in it. Every trade in the state is ranked on the highest-paying trades in Pennsylvania page, and every state is compared on the prevailing wage rates by state page.

TradeMarket median $/hrPrevailing wage $/hr (wage + fringe)Rate typeGap
Electrician in Pennsylvania$32.50$82.64Union+$50.14
Plumber in Pennsylvania$32.73$72.45Union+$39.72
Carpenter in Pennsylvania$28.54$56.61Union+$28.07
Construction laborer in Pennsylvania$23.75$43.36Union+$19.61
Heavy equipment operator in Pennsylvania$29.10$65.74Union+$36.64
Ironworker in Pennsylvania$39.89$69.89Union+$30.00
Sheet metal worker in Pennsylvania$29.52$82.68Union+$53.16
Painter in Pennsylvania$25.06$52.01Union+$26.95

Prevailing wage is the typical Davis-Bacon rate across counties with one, Building construction. The market median has no benefits in it, so the gap is bigger than the difference in take-home pay. Not the official determination.

Questions this page answers

What is the prevailing wage in Pennsylvania?

On federally funded construction in Pennsylvania, it is the Davis-Bacon rate: a wage plus a fringe amount for benefits, set by county and trade in 110 wage determinations covering Building, Residential, Heavy and Highway work. Electricians are on a union rate in 58 of the 62 counties with a Building rate, and the typical union rate is $82.64 an hour, wage and fringe together.

How many Davis-Bacon wage determinations cover Pennsylvania?

110 active determinations cover Pennsylvania: 67 Building, 7 Heavy, 3 Highway, 36 Residential. The Building ones list rates for 67 counties, shown on this page. This page covers the federal rates; state-funded jobs may fall under Pennsylvania's own prevailing wage law.

How often do the rates change?

The Department of Labor publishes changes most Thursdays. The latest change to a Pennsylvania determination in our data is dated 2026-10-15. New determination numbers come out each January.

Sources and notes

  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations for Pennsylvania, current revisions as of 2026-11-06: Building 67, Heavy 7, Highway 3, Residential 36.
  • BLS OEWS May 2025 for market medians.
  • Trade names simplified from the official classification labels by Skilled Wages; where a determination lists several electrician or laborer classes, the journeyman or general class is shown. The official text governs.