Ohio Electrical Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Electrical workers comp in Ohio 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Ohio Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Ohio employers buy electrical workers comp from the state fund. The 2026 base rate for class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings and Drivers) is $1.09 per $100 of payroll, before your experience modifier.

The state fund sets one base rate per class; your experience modifier moves it up or down. Source.

Ohio class code for electrical

  • 5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings and Drivers

Monopolistic state fund that uses NCCI manual classification numbers but sets its own base rates (about 500 classes) and does not use NCCI loss costs; some NCCI or state-specific codes (e.g. 5436, 5651) are not in Ohio's table.

Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.

What comp costs per electrician in Ohio

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 28,950 electricians on payrolls in Ohio (May 2025), the 5th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $31.11 an hour, 2% above the US median of $30.38.

Electricians make up about the same share of Ohio jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.07).

At the Ohio state fund's 2026 base rate of $1.09 per $100 of payroll for class 5190, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.34 for every hour worked, or $705 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $1,409 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Ohio pay runs from $19.59 an hour at the 10th percentile to $47.73 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.21 an hour on a new hire and $0.52 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Ohio

  • Coverage required: 1 employee
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with no employees may elect self-coverage; mandatory once any employee is hired
  • State fund: Monopolistic; coverage only from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC)
  • Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability exceeds 14 days
  • Penalty for going without: Liable for all claim costs during a lapse, BWC penalties, and personal officer liability

Ohio is one of four monopolistic states and offers state-run group-rating and rebate programs unavailable in private-market states.

Ohio vs neighboring states

Among its neighbors, West Virginia is the cheapest for electrical comp at $0.85 and Pennsylvania the most expensive at $2.04 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews cross into Indiana or Kentucky or Michigan or Pennsylvania or West Virginia, your Ohio state-fund coverage does not follow them. Buy a private policy for the out-of-state work, with Ohio excluded from it.

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.

Related Ohio Electrical pages