Alaska Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Alaska loss cost for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings & Drivers), is $1.159 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.74.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Alaska class code for electrical
- 5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings
- 7538 (Electric Light or Power Line Construction & Drivers)
Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.
What comp costs per electrician in Alaska
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,870 electricians on payrolls in Alaska (May 2025), the 50th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $43.00 an hour, 42% above the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Alaska jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.18).
At a typical Alaska premium of about $1.74 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.16 for class 5190 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.75 for every hour worked, or $1,556 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,113 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alaska pay runs from $28.09 an hour at the 10th percentile to $59.23 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.49 an hour on a new hire and $1.03 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Alaska
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 10%+ ownership are excluded; employees must still be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 28 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and a 3-year bar on public contracts
A hiring contractor in Alaska becomes liable for a subcontractor's employees if that sub lacks its own coverage.
Alaska vs neighboring states
- Washington: about $3.14 per $100 of payroll
- Oregon: about $1.31 per $100 of payroll
Alaska has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for electrical comp at $1.31 and Washington the most expensive at $3.14 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a electrical comp bill
- Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
- Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
- Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
- Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.