Wisconsin Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings & Drivers), is $2.03 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 14,310 electricians on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 19th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $36.80 an hour, 21% above the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Wisconsin jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.00).
At the published Wisconsin rate of $2.03 per $100 of payroll for class 5190, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.75 for every hour worked, or $1,554 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,108 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $21.55 an hour at the 10th percentile to $48.93 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.44 an hour on a new hire and $0.99 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Wisconsin
- Coverage required: 3+ employees, or 1 employee paid $500+ in a calendar quarter
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded; may elect in; some closely-held officers excluded
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Twice the premium unpaid or $750 (whichever is greater); a short lapse runs $100 per uninsured day
Wisconsin passed the first constitutional workers comp law in the nation in 1911.
Wisconsin vs neighboring states
Wisconsin has the highest electrical comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.
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.