Workers’ comp insurance cost for electricians in California

Q: What does workers' comp cost electrical contractors in California?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $2.78 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee electrical shop lands around $1.6k–$6.5k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

Q: What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Electrical wiring work is NCCI class 5190 — it covers electrical wiring within buildings, including installation of fixtures and appliances.

Published 2026-06-05 · Updated 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: California electrical contractors pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $2.78 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 15th-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee electrical contractors land around $1.6k–$6.5k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

62% of CA electrical contractors have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
California sits 15th of 51: VT pays more ($3.04), ME less ($2.63).
Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your electrical shop needs in California →

What do California electrical contractors pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of CA electrical contractors

bar height = how many electrical contractors are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most CA electrical contractors

▼

<5 emp

≈$2.8k/yr

5–9 emp

≈$12k/yr

10–19 emp

≈$27k/yr

20–49 emp

≈$70k/yr

50–99 emp

≈$180k/yr

100–249 emp

≈$440k/yr

SMALLER

MID-SIZE

LARGER

A <5-employee CA electrical shop: modeled $1.6k–$6.5k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 10,162 CA electrical contractors fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 10,162 CA electrical contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($2.78/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 10,119 of 10,162 establishments (99.6%) — 43 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.

Filed manual rate (CA)

$2.78 / $100 payroll

as of 2024

Typical <5-employee electrical shop (62% of CA)

$1.6k–$6.5k / yr modeled

as of 2024 · CBP 2023

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Electrical contractors (NAICS 238210)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)

How does California compare to nearby ranks?

Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 5190 (Electrical Wiring — Within Buildings), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →

Rank	State	Rate / $100 payroll
11	New Hampshire	$2.97
12	Georgia	$2.93
13	Alabama	$2.93
14	Oklahoma	$2.87
15	California	$2.78
16	Louisiana	$2.75
17	Pennsylvania	$2.72
18	North Carolina	$2.71
19	Minnesota	$2.67

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)

Frequently asked questions

What does workers' comp cost electrical contractors in California?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $2.78 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee electrical shop lands around $1.6k–$6.5k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Electrical wiring work is NCCI class 5190 — it covers electrical wiring within buildings, including installation of fixtures and appliances.

Electricians in nearby-ranked states: Louisiana ($2.75) · Oklahoma ($2.87) · Alabama ($2.93) · Pennsylvania ($2.72)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 10,162 California electrical contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.