Electrician Salary in Tennessee (2026)

Electrician OT is structural to the comp model. Union scale at IBEW Local 429 (Nashville) journeyman runs $42-52/hr (2026) plus benefits package; Local 175 (Chattanooga) journeyman $40-50/hr; Local 760 (Knoxville) journeyman $40-50/hr; Local 474 (Memphis) journeyman $38-48/hr. Time-and-a-half OT after 40 hr/week or after 8 hr/day depending on contract. BlueOval City + GM Spring Hill EV Ultium + Volkswagen Scout Motors expansion + Nissan Decherd retooling all running heavy OT 2024-2027 buildouts. Total OT typically 400-700 hrs/year for mid-career certified electrician = supplemental $18-32K. Pushes mid-career welder total comp from $78K base to $98-115K all-in.

The 2025 OBBBA law (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) created a federal-only deduction on the premium portion of overtime pay for tax years 2025-2028 — up to $12,500 single / $25,000 MFJ. Premium portion equals the half of time-and-a-half. For a Local 429 journeyman with 500 OT hrs/year × $46/hr regular rate = $23,000 total OT compensation, the premium half roughly $7,700 — which fully qualifies for OBBBA federal deduction at single filer. Federal savings 22-24% bracket × $7,700 = $1,694-1,848/year federal back.

Tennessee charges 0% state income tax. The OT premium pays no TN state tax — the OBBBA federal deduction stacks cleanly with TN's 0% structure (no state-level offset like MA / MD / IN have). Net OBBBA benefit at TN Local 429 journeyman comp tier: full $1,694-1,848/year federal — the strongest OBBBA effective rate of any US state. Compared to MD journeyman at the same OT volume: TN saves the additional 8% MD combined = $616/year vs MD on the OT premium portion alone, on top of the OBBBA federal deduction.

OBBBA phaseout: $100/$1K MAGI over $150K single / $300K MFJ. Most TN Local 429 journeymen ($98-115K total comp) stay below the threshold — full OBBBA deduction available. Senior foremen + master electricians + federal-clearance journeymen at $115-148K may approach phaseout depending on filing status. MFJ filers with high-earner spouse most exposed. The TN-specific calculation: total comp = base + OT + per-diem + clearance premium + EV battery / cleanroom premium.

Real numbers for a Local 429 journeyman at $46/hr × 2,080 base hrs = $96K base + $20K OT (350 hrs × $46/hr OT premium average $58/hr × 350 = $20K OT comp = $7K premium portion) + $14K BlueOval City / GM EV battery cleanroom premium + $4K per-diem = $134K total. TN state tax = $0. OBBBA federal OT deduction $7,000 × 22% = $1,540/year federal back. Compared to MD journeyman at $134K: $11,000/year MD combined state+local. TN saves $11,000/year vs MD at this tier — among the highest effective state-tax differentials of any blue-collar profession comparison. Combined with the BlueOval City + EV battery + ORNL clearance density, TN is among the most favorable US union electrician markets.

IBEW NEBF (National Electrical Benefit Fund) pension is the dominant late-career lever. Defined-benefit pension accruing at hourly rate × years of service; multi-employer plan covering all participating IBEW locals. Plus IBEW Local 429 / 175 / 760 / 474 supplemental pension on top — Local 429 specifically funds an annuity contribution at $4-6/hr employer contribution. For a Local 429 journeyman with 30 years of IBEW service, combined NEBF + Local 429 pension typically reaches $4,200-6,500/month at age 65 ($50-78K/year). TN's 0% state on retirement income + 0% estate + 0% inheritance + low 0.64% effective property tax makes TN among the most favorable US electrician retirement structures — among the best in the country.

Most TN electricians retire in-state — TN's 0% state + 0% estate + 0% inheritance is decisively favorable, and pre-death relocation flows INTO TN from high-tax states rather than out. Common in-state retirement: stay in Williamson / Davidson / Sumner / Wilson, or migrate to Smoky Mountains foothills (Sevier, Blount), Lake Norris (Anderson), or coast (Cumberland) for retirement lifestyle. Some senior TN electricians who maintain MA / NY / NJ family ties may keep dual residence but TN remains primary domicile for tax purposes.

TN electrician work clusters along the I-24 / I-40 / I-65 / I-75 corridors. Local 429 (Nashville + Middle TN) covers Nashville BNA airport, GM Spring Hill EV Ultium battery JV (LG Energy Solution), HCA Healthcare HQ infrastructure, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, downtown Nashville commercial, plus Williamson County buildout. Local 175 (Chattanooga) covers Volkswagen Chattanooga (Scout Motors expansion + ID.4 EV), Erlanger Health, BlueCross BlueShield TN. Local 760 (Knoxville) covers TVA HQ, ORNL Oak Ridge, Y-12 National Security Complex, UT Medical Center. Local 474 (Memphis) covers FedEx World Hub, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, plus BlueOval City Ford-SK plant (Stanton, ~50 min east of Memphis).

Housing on a journeyman base + OT income tier ($88-115K total comp): Williamson County affordable suburbs (Spring Hill, Nolensville, southern Franklin) $375-625K · Davidson County (East Nashville, Inglewood, Old Hickory) $250-525K · Rutherford (Murfreesboro, Smyrna — GM-adjacent) $325-525K · Sumner (Hendersonville, Gallatin) $325-525K · Wilson (Mt. Juliet) $375-575K · Hamilton (Chattanooga) $250-475K · Knox (Knoxville suburbs) $250-475K · Shelby (Memphis suburbs Bartlett, Cordova) $250-450K · Tipton (BlueOval City-adjacent Covington) $200-375K. Local 429 EV battery / clearance journeyman comp ($134K total) can stretch into Williamson premium tier ($625K-$1.0M Brentwood / Franklin) with spouse income.

Most TN electricians retire in-state on IBEW NEBF + Local 429 / 175 / 760 / 474 supplemental annuity + 401(k) accumulation. TN's 0% state + 0% estate + 0% inheritance + low property tax structure is materially favorable — pre-distribution relocation flows INTO TN from high-tax states. Common in-state retirement: stay in Williamson / Davidson / Rutherford / Sumner for grandkid proximity, or migrate to Smoky Mountains foothills (Sevier / Blount), Cumberland Plateau, or Lake Norris (Anderson) for retirement lifestyle. The TN structure is among the most attractive US blue-collar retirement structures available.

Years 0-5 (apprentice): $32-55K. IBEW Local 429 (Nashville) or Local 175 (Chattanooga) or Local 760 (Knoxville) or Local 474 (Memphis) JATC 5-year apprenticeship — combination of OJT (8,000 hrs total) + classroom (~900 hrs total). Pay scale steps through 5 years from 40% of journeyman to 100%. Decision point at year 3-4: federal-clearance track (ORNL / Y-12 / Arnold AEDC security clearance application, ~12-18 months for TS) vs EV battery / auto specialty (BlueOval City / GM Spring Hill / VW Chattanooga) vs commercial / industrial / specialty track. NEBF pension accruing from day 1.

Years 5-15 (journeyman / foreman / specialty): $62-148K total comp. Journeyman scale $42-52/hr at Local 429 + 400-700 OT hrs/year drives total comp $88-115K. Federal-clearance journeyman + TS/SCI premium reaches $115-148K total. EV battery / cleanroom journeyman reaches $108-135K total. TVA federal utility journeyman $78-115K + FERS pension. Foreman promotion at year 8-12 typical (~$5-10/hr foreman premium + crew lead bonus). Maxing IBEW 401(k) + supplemental annuity is the active-duty stack. OBBBA federal OT deduction on premium portion (no TN state offset).

Years 15-30+ (master electrician / contractor-owner / retirement): $108-345K depending on track. Master electrician at $108-155K running multi-crew operations or service-manager role. Contractor-owner with TN electrical contractor license + 5-15 employees reaches $215-345K. Year 30 NEBF retirement decision: full DB pension (typically $50-78K/year at 30 years) + Local supplemental annuity rollover. Most TN electricians retire in-state — among the most favorable US retirement structures.