Lighting Technicians Salary
Lighting Technicians in Columbus, OH make a median of $55,740 a year, or about $26.8 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $58,385 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,430/month, about 39% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $56K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About lighting technicians
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What this looks like in Columbus
Pay for lighting technicians in Columbus runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $68K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,430/month, which is 37.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for lighting technicianss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for lighting technicians in metros near Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | $64K | $67K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $57K | $55K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level lighting technicians (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Lighting Technicians pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Lighting Technicians salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $126K | +85% | 80 |
| California | $94K | +38% | 2,950 |
| New Jersey | $88K | +29% | 340 |
| New York | $78K | +15% | 780 |
| Connecticut | $72K | +6% | 80 |
| Georgia | $70K | +3% | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $67K | -1% | 60 |
| Louisiana | $67K | -2% | 40 |
| Florida | $62K | -9% | 600 |
| Nevada | $61K | -10% | 390 |
| Tennessee | $61K | -11% | 280 |
| Virginia | $60K | -11% | 190 |
| Michigan | $60K | -12% | 230 |
| Massachusetts | $60K | -12% | N/A |
| Oregon | $58K | -15% | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | $58K | -15% | 100 |
| Ohio | $55K | -19% | 260 |
| Montana | $55K | -19% | 50 |
| Texas | $53K | -22% | 210 |
| Indiana | $50K | -26% | 190 |
| Nebraska | $50K | -27% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $49K | -27% | N/A |
| Utah | $49K | -28% | 120 |
| Maryland | $49K | -28% | 130 |
| Kansas | $49K | -28% | N/A |
| South Carolina | $47K | -31% | 60 |
| Missouri | $42K | -38% | 90 |
Showing 1–10 of 27 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track lighting technicians salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbus numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a lighting technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 37.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for lighting technicians in Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new lighting technicians typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,246/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 64% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is lighting technician a high-paying job in Columbus?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $56K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for lighting technicians?
Columbus pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — below the national median.
How much do lighting technicians make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $55,740 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,440, and experienced lighting technicians can clear $61,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,833/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 37.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a lighting technicians salary go in Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median lighting technicians salary is worth about $58,385 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do lighting technicians get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.