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Rhode Island Prevailing Wage Rates for Electricians
ElectricianDB Editorial · Last updated 2026-09-30
The prevailing wage for electricians in Rhode Island ranges from $1.00 to $80.85 per hour (base + fringe) as of 2026-09-30 per SAM.gov Davis-Bacon determinations.
At a glance
$60.01/hr
Median total package
2
Counties covered
4
Determinations
- Median electrician total
- $60.01/hour (base + fringe)
- Coverage
- 4 determinations · 7 electrician rates
- Highest-rate counties
- Newport ($22.41)
- Classifications covered
- CARPENTER: INCLUDES SOFT FLOOR LAYER (WORK ON FREE-STANDING STACKS, CONCRETE SILOS & PUBLIC UTILITY ELECTRICAL POWER HOUSES, WHICH ARE OVER 35 FT. IN HEIGHT WHEN CONSTRUCTED: $.50 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. · DREDGING: CLASS B1: DERRICK OPERATOR (180 SWING), SPIDER/SPILL BARGE OPERATOR, ENGINEER, ELECTRICIAN, CHIEF WELDER, CHIEF MATE, FILL PLACER, OPERATOR II, MAINTENANCE ENGINEER, LICENSED BOAT OPERATOR, · ELECTRICIAN · ELECTRICIAN (WORK OF A HAZARDOUS NATURE, OR WHERE THE WORK HEIGHT IS 30 FT. OR MORE FROM THE FLOOR, EXCEPT WHEN WORKING OSHA-APPROVED LIFTS: 20% PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK IN TUNNELS BELOW GROUND LEVEL · ELECTRICIAN FOOTNOTE: WORK OF A HAZARDOUS NATURE, OR WHERE THE WORK HEIGHT IS 30 FEET OR MORE FROM THE FLOOR, EXCEPT WHEN WORKING OSHA-APPROVED LIFTS: 20% PER HOUR ADDITIONAL · PILEDRIVER (WORK ON FREE-STANDING STACKS, CONCRETE SILOS & PUBLIC UTILITY ELECTRICAL POWER HOUSES, WHICH ARE OVER 35 FT. IN HEIGHT WHEN CONSTRUCTED: $.50 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK ON EXTERIOR CONCRETE +1 more
Electrician rates by county — RI
Every row is an electrician classification from an ingested Davis-Bacon determination. Click a column to sort; filter by county or trade for large states. Always confirm against the linked source document before bidding.
Showing 5 of 5 electrician rates
| Effective | Source | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide | ELECTRICIAN (WORK OF A HAZARDOUS NATURE, OR WHERE THE WORK HEIGHT IS 30 FT. OR MORE FROM THE FLOOR, EXCEPT WHEN WORKING OSHA-APPROVED LIFTS: 20% PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK IN TUNNELS BELOW GROUND LEVELRI20260001 | Building+Heavy+Highway | $56.11 | $24.74 | $80.85 | 2026-07-30 | Doc → |
| Statewide | WELDER (WORK ON FREE-STANDING STACKS, CONCRETE SILOS & PUBLIC UTILITY ELECTRICAL POWER HOUSES, WHICH ARE OVER 35 FT. IN HEIGHT WHEN CONSTRUCTED: $.50 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK ON EXTERIOR CONCRETE SHERI20260001 | Building+Heavy+Highway | $48.68 | $30.50 | $79.18 | 2026-07-30 | Doc → |
| Statewide | CARPENTER: INCLUDES SOFT FLOOR LAYER (WORK ON FREE-STANDING STACKS, CONCRETE SILOS & PUBLIC UTILITY ELECTRICAL POWER HOUSES, WHICH ARE OVER 35 FT. IN HEIGHT WHEN CONSTRUCTED: $.50 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL.RI20260001 | Building+Heavy+Highway | $47.88 | $30.50 | $78.38 | 2026-07-30 | Doc → |
| Statewide | ELECTRICIAN FOOTNOTE: WORK OF A HAZARDOUS NATURE, OR WHERE THE WORK HEIGHT IS 30 FEET OR MORE FROM THE FLOOR, EXCEPT WHEN WORKING OSHA-APPROVED LIFTS: 20% PER HOUR ADDITIONALRI20260002 | Residential | $42.09 | $17.92 | $60.01 | 2026-05-18 | Doc → |
| Newport | ELECTRICIANRI20260003 | Residential | $18.49 | $3.92 | $22.41 | 2026-05-18 | Doc → |
Wage determinations — RI
| Determination | Coverage | Electrician total | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RI20260001Building, Heavy, Highway | 5 counties | $1.00–$80.85 | 2026-07-30 | Document → |
| RI20260002Residential | 4 counties | $60.01 | 2026-05-18 | Document → |
| RI20260003Residential | Newport Co. (44005) | $22.41 | 2026-05-18 | Document → |
| RI20260005Heavy | 5 counties | $1.80 | 2026-05-18 | Document → |
How prevailing wage works in Rhode Island
Electricians on federally funded construction in Rhode Island must be paid at least the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage for their classification and county. The U.S. Department of Labor publishes these rates as general wage determinations on SAM.gov, and federal contracting agencies incorporate the applicable determination into each covered contract. This page tracks 4 determinations covering Rhode Island.
Some states layer their own prevailing-wage schedules over the federal floor for state-funded work. ElectricianDB has not yet ingested a Rhode Island state schedule — until then, confirm state-funded requirements directly with the Rhode Island labor agency before bidding.
Use the determination table below as your starting point: match your project's county and construction type, then open the source document to confirm the classification definitions, footnotes, and any-Series modifications. Published rates are minimums — union agreements and tight labor markets routinely clear them — and misclassification (billing journeyman hours at a laborer rate) is one of the most common prevailing-wage violations.
Display note: we exclude rates below $12/hr base from this page. These are typically rural residential determinations at or near federal minimum wage, data-entry artifacts, or structurally non-journeyman classifications that misrepresent prevailing wage for commercial electrical work. The full dataset remains available via SAM.gov directly.
Sources
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Rhode Island prevailing wage FAQs
What is the prevailing wage for electricians in Rhode Island?
Across the 7 electrician rates currently tracked, totals (base + fringe) range from $1.00 to $80.85 per hour, with a median of $60.01. Your project's county and construction type determine which row applies.
How is the electrician prevailing wage set in Rhode Island?
Federal Davis-Bacon rates come from Department of Labor surveys of locally prevailing union and open-shop packages, published as SAM.gov wage determinations per county group and construction type.
Do apprentice electricians earn the full journeyman rate?
Registered apprentices in approved programs are typically paid a progression percentage of the journeyman base rate, while fringe treatment varies by determination and program. Unregistered workers generally must receive the full journeyman package. Confirm the apprentice terms in the determination footnotes and your program agreement.
Why are rates below $12/hr excluded?
We exclude rates below $12/hr base from display. These are typically rural residential determinations at or near federal minimum wage, data-entry artifacts, or structurally non-journeyman classifications that misrepresent prevailing wage for commercial electrical work. The full dataset remains available via SAM.gov directly, and our database retains every ingested row for audit.
Where can I verify the official Rhode Island rates?
Start with the source-document links in the determination table — federal rows link to SAM.gov, state rows to the publishing agency. For binding answers on coverage, classification, and conformance, contact the DOL Wage and Hour Division or the state labor agency.