Reporting from The Electrical Worker, the journal of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The union that wires the country's power plants, substations, factories and transmission lines is growing at a pace its own leaders call generational.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers counts about 908,000 members, up from about 775,000 in 2022, according to a September column in The Electrical Worker by International President Kenneth W. Cooper and International Secretary-Treasurer Paul A. Noble. The union gained more than 34,000 members this year alone. Its stated goal is 1 million members before the decade is out.
"It's growing faster than we've seen in generations," Cooper and Noble wrote.
A Convention Built on Growth
The IBEW held its 41st International Convention in September at the San Diego Convention Center. There were 2,032 delegates from 597 locals across the U.S. and Canada, representing nearly 700,000 members, and more than 6,000 delegates, guests and staff in all, according to the union's convention wrap published November 1.
Delegates elected Cooper to a full five-year term as International President, along with Noble as International Secretary-Treasurer and Joseph Calabro as chair of the International Executive Council. The convention set the union's agenda for the next five years. The next one meets in Pittsburgh in 2031.
Where the Demand Comes From
Cooper and Noble put the need in one number. The electrical industry in the U.S. and Canada will need nearly 100,000 electrical workers each year over the next decade, they wrote.
"The hunger for energy is growing," the column said. The drivers they named are new manufacturing, transmission and infrastructure investment, and data center construction.
The column also points to agreements the IBEW reached with the Laborers' union and the International Union of Operating Engineers on which trade does what on solar, underground and transmission jobs. Settling that up front lets each craft staff its share of the work.
"The real question facing the IBEW isn't whether we're growing but whether we're growing fast enough," Cooper and Noble wrote.
What the Federal Numbers Say
The Bureau of Labor Statistics data points the same way.
Electricians held about 821,000 jobs in 2025, with a median wage of $63,190 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. BLS projects electrician employment will grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 72,700 openings a year.
Electrical power-line installers and repairers held about 131,900 jobs in 2025. Their median wage was $95,320 a year in May 2025. BLS projects 10 percent growth over the same decade and about 10,900 openings a year.
Both careers typically start with a high school diploma and paid training on the job, according to BLS.
The Whole Building Trades Are Growing
The IBEW is not growing alone. North America's Building Trades Unions reported in February that its affiliates gained 47,198 net new members across 14 crafts in 2025, and brought in a record of more than 88,000 new apprentices that year. More than 300,000 men and women enrolled in registered apprenticeship programs over the last two years, the federation said.
The training is changing with the work. In May, Bechtel and NABTU signed a memorandum of understanding to modernize apprenticeship programs for nuclear construction, covering both traditional reactors and small modular reactors, Keith Loria reported in Construction Dive. NABTU runs a network of roughly 1,700 training centers. "This MOU isn't about filling a sudden gap; it's about seizing an opportunity," a Bechtel spokesperson told Construction Dive.
What It Means for Workers
An IBEW inside wireman apprenticeship runs four years. Apprentices are paid while they train, and their wages climb as they log hours and pass classes. They finish as journey level electricians.
For a high school senior or someone ready for a career change, the openings are there, and the training pays from the first day.
How to Apply
IBEW apprenticeships are run locally by joint apprenticeship and training committees, which the union operates together with the National Electrical Contractors Association. The Electrical Training Alliance, the national training program of the IBEW and NECA, has a locator for the training center nearest you. Utility line work has its own apprenticeship tracks, often run with the IBEW local that represents the utility's workforce.
The utilities, contractors and manufacturers building out the grid are creating the work, and the union halls are filling with the people to do it.
Sources
- Kenneth W. Cooper and Paul A. Noble, "Powering a Brighter Future," The Electrical Worker, September 2026. Link
- "'What an Incredible Week': Cooper Brings Gavel Down on 41st Convention," The Electrical Worker, November 1, 2026. Link
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electricians. Link
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Line Installers and Repairers. Link
- North America's Building Trades Unions, "Building Trades Union Membership in the U.S. Continues to Grow Despite Industry Disruption," February 11, 2026. Link
- Electrical Training Alliance, program locator. Link
- Keith Loria, "Bechtel, NABTU launch nuclear apprenticeship push as power demand rises," Construction Dive, May 12, 2026. Link
