Ohio IBEW Work Outlook 2026: The Complete Traveling Electrician's Guide

Ohio is the hottest IBEW market in America right now, and it's not particularly close. IBEW Local 683 and Local 1105 in central Ohio collectively post 150+ unfilled journeyman wireman calls daily, driven by a once-in-a-generation convergence of data center construction, semiconductor fabrication, EV manufacturing, healthcare megaprojects, and solar energy buildout. Traveling electricians working the New Albany/Licking County data center corridor are earning $2.01/hr over scale with all overtime at double time on 50–60 hour weeks — putting gross weekly earnings in the $3,000–$4,000+ range.

The pipeline stretches through at least 2030, though growing community resistance, grid capacity constraints, and Intel's significant timeline delays introduce meaningful uncertainty to the long-term outlook. Here's everything you need to know before you travel.

Why Ohio is the hottest IBEW market in 2026

Central Ohio's data center market has exploded from 160 MW of capacity in 2019 to 2,100 MW in 2024 — a 13x increase in five years. Ohio now hosts 200+ operational data centers with 77 more planned by 2030, and approximately 6 GW of land-banked sites across the region.

Columbus/Central Ohio Building Trades hours have surged from roughly 4 million to 18+ million per year over the past decade, with projections exceeding 20 million hours in 2026. Three Google campuses alone generated 6.5 million building trades hours in a single year. Ohio's construction employment hit a record 266,300 jobs in December 2025.

Ohio is NOT a right-to-work state — one of 24 states (plus D.C.) without such laws. Union construction workers nationally earn a $453/week premium ($23,000+/year) over non-union counterparts, and Ohio's 11.6% union membership density sits above the national average. This is a critical advantage over right-to-work markets like Arizona, Texas, and Virginia.

Where the work is: every major Ohio project for travelers

Intel Ohio One — $28 billion semiconductor fab (Local 1105)

Intel's two-fab complex (part of a potential $100B, 8-fab campus) in New Albany/Licking County is Ohio's signature megaproject. General contractor Bechtel leads construction. As of early 2026, 6.4 million labor hours have been logged, 200,000+ cubic yards of concrete poured, and the fabs are going vertical with structural steel underway.

Timelines have slipped — originally 2025, now Mod 1 completion is 2030 and Mod 2 is 2031. Intel secured $7.865 billion in CHIPS Act funding, $11 billion in federal loans, and ~$2 billion in Ohio state incentives. Despite Intel's financial struggles ($2.9B quarterly loss, CEO change), the CHIPS funding is secure and the Trump administration acquired a ~9.9% equity stake.

IBEW Local 1105 jurisdiction. Bechtel's "Project Cardinal" calls dispatch through Local 1105 with bonuses of $300 for 45 hours worked and additional $100 for 58 hours, plus NFPA 70E certification requirements.

Meta Prometheus — World's first 1-gigawatt data center (Local 1105/683)

Meta's "supercluster" exceeding $10 billion features 1.5 GW IT capacity across at least five buildings at 1500 Beech Road, New Albany. Construction underway with 2026 operational target. Meta is building a 200 MW on-site gas plant and signed nuclear power deals with TerraPower, Oklo, and Vistra for up to 6.6 GW of clean energy by 2035. Thousands of construction workers are on site.

Jurisdiction: Primarily Local 1105 (Licking County parcels); some Franklin County parcels under Local 683.

AWS/Amazon — $23B+ across six Ohio campuses

Amazon Web Services has committed $23+ billion to Ohio by 2030 — the second-largest private investment in state history after Intel:

• New Albany ($3.5B): Two of five buildings complete; rest under construction
• Fayette County ($5B): Construction began early 2025; operations possibly September 2026
• Sidney ($3B, "Project Galaxy"): Construction scheduled January 2026, completion 2030
• Marysville ($1B): Announced March 2025; operations expected 2027
• Sunbury ($2B): Construction expected January 2028
• Wilmington ($4B): Tabled twice by planning commission — Amazon couldn't answer cooling, noise, and PFAS questions. Earliest 2028.

Google — $7.2B+ invested across Ohio

Google has invested $7.2 billion+ since 2019. The New Albany facility ($600M, 2019) is operational with 85 additional acres acquired June 2025. Lancaster facility is near-complete. A new Lima/Allen County campus ($500M, "Project BOSC") was revealed March 2026 — 200+ acres, construction expected to begin 2026. A $1 billion Franklin Furnace facility in southern Ohio is also under development. Each facility generates approximately 1,200 construction jobs during buildout.

Microsoft — $1B across three Licking County campuses (Local 1105)

Microsoft paused all three sites in April 2025 to "reevaluate market," but construction has resumed. Hebron (200+ acres, six buildings) began construction February 2026, completion November 2026. Heath (227 acres, five buildings) expected early 2028. New Albany ($420M first phase) has ongoing site prep. All three under IBEW Local 1105. General contractor: AMES Construction.

Vantage Data Centers OH1 — $2B+ campus (Local 1105)

A 70-acre campus with three hyperscale buildings totaling 192 MW and 1.5+ million square feet. General contractor: Turner Construction. First building likely complete December 2025. Buildings 2 and 3 through 2028. Vantage secured $2.25 billion in financing and employs 1,500+ across construction and operations.

Current dispatches through Local 1105: Cupertino Electric, ESI, TD4, and The Superior Group — all at $2.01 over scale with double-time OT.

EdgeConneX — $1B+ New Albany (Local 1105)

Phase I converting a 524,000-sq-ft warehouse, completion April 2026. Phase II is a new 700,000-sq-ft building plus energy center, completion Q3 2027. A 120 MW natural gas power plant approved at 216 MW. Under IBEW Local 1105 jurisdiction.

Cologix — $8B+ Lewis Center and Johnstown (Local 683/1105)

COL5 in Lewis Center ($1B, 120 MW) Phase 1 completing Fall 2026. A massive $7 billion Johnstown/Licking County mega-campus — eight data centers, 800 MW, 2 million square feet. Active Local 683 dispatches include Eagle Electric (7 JW) and ESI (4 JW) at Lewis Center working 5-10s+8 schedules.

Honda/LG EV battery plant — $4.4B, Fayette County

The 2+ million-sq-ft battery facility is near-complete. Major development: Honda cancelled its entire North American EV program on March 12, 2026, with losses up to ¥2.5 trillion ($15.7B). The plant may pivot to energy storage batteries for AI data centers. The original 4,000–5,300 union construction jobs were performed under a PLA.

Solar and battery storage — $10.2B+ pipeline

• Harvey Solar (350 MW): Licking County, construction Fall 2026. Local 683.
• Pleasant Prairie Solar (240–250 MW): Franklin County, wrapping 2026. Local 683.
• Cadence Solar (275 MW): Union County, completing summer 2026.
• Flint Grid Battery Storage (200 MW): Jersey Township near New Albany. Local 1105.

Healthcare megaprojects

• Ohio State Wexner Medical Center ($1.9B): 26 stories, 820 rooms. Opened February 2026. Local 683.
• Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute ($1.1B): Largest Clinic project ever. Completion Q4 2026. Local 38 under PLA.
• Nationwide Children's Hospital: 14-story, 430+ beds. Under construction. Local 683.
• OhioHealth: Riverside + Grant Medical Center, $1B+ combined. Local 683.
• Cleveland Hopkins Airport ($1.6B): 1,500–1,800 building trades jobs under PLA.

Ohio IBEW inside locals: pay scales and work outlook

Ohio has 18 IBEW inside wireman locals. Nine northern locals participate in the Northern Ohio Regional Agreement (NORA). Here's every one with current data.

The three hottest locals for travelers

IBEW Local 683 — Columbus | $43.00/hr on check | $69.73 total package

Ground zero for data center construction. As of April 2026, the dispatch board showed 40+ open JW calls including Eagle Electric at Dublin Data Center and Cologix (all OT at double time), ESI at Project Cyprus (12+ JWs, DT overtime), Hatzel & Buehler at 10% over scale, and Vader Electric at new Children's Hospital. All calls require a current drug card and OSHA-10. Book 2 moving rapidly. Email: HIRINGHALL@IBEW683.ORG

IBEW Local 1105 — Nashport/Newark | ~$43.10/hr on check | ~$67.86 total package

Arguably the hottest IBEW local in the entire country. As of April 2026, over 100 open JW calls posted. Nearly every call offered $2.01/hr over scale and all overtime as double time with lunches:

• Cupertino Electric: 34+ JWs across NAH, NAB, Vantage
• ESI: 16+ JWs at NAB, NLH, Fire Alarm
• Mid-City: 19+ JWs, hot lunch 6 days/week
• TD4: 14+ JWs at Vantage
• The Superior Group: 19+ JWs at Vantage, Mustang, CMH02
• Newkirk Electric: Gas power plant, 12-month call

Book signing requires fax from home local to 740-454-6727 or in-person sign with letter of introduction.

IBEW Local 8 — Toledo | $48.40/hr NORA base | $80+ total package

Highest NORA base rate tied with Local 246. Per current outlook: "LOCAL IS VERY BUSY AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE. VDV CALLS FOR PROJECT ACCORDION DATA CENTER WILL OUTNUMBER OUR ENTIRE VDV MEMBERSHIP. JIW CALLS ARE GOING UNFILLED DAILY." Book 2 moving rapidly.

Complete Ohio IBEW inside wireman pay comparison

NORA (Northern Ohio) locals — 2025 base rates:

Non-NORA (Central/Southern Ohio) locals:

Common mistake: IBEW Local 245 (Toledo) is outside construction, not inside wireman — inside wireman in Toledo is Local 8. Local 648 is in Hamilton, Ohio (Butler County near Cincinnati), not Toledo. Local 71 (Columbus) is outside construction covering transmission/distribution — it does NOT overlap with Local 683 for inside electrical work.

What travelers need to know before signing Book 2 in Ohio

Ohio taxes will take a bigger bite than you expect

State income tax (2026): Ohio enacted a flat 2.75% rate on all nonbusiness income over $26,050 (HB 96, signed June 2025). Ohio has reciprocity agreements with Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Municipal income taxes — the hidden tax travelers miss: Over 600 Ohio municipalities levy their own income taxes at 0.5% to 3.0%, based on where you WORK, not where you live. Employers withhold automatically. Major city rates: Columbus 2.5%, Cleveland 2.5%, Toledo 2.5%, Cincinnati 1.8%. JEDDs can extend city taxes beyond city limits — relevant for New Albany data center projects. Combined state + local for central Ohio: approximately 5.0%–5.5% on top of federal.

Cost of living and housing near the work

Average one-bedroom rents: Columbus $1,077–$1,445/mo, Cleveland $1,525–$1,645/mo, Cincinnati $930–$1,250/mo, Toledo ~$800/mo. Ohio is the 14th-cheapest state in the U.S., with Columbus approximately 23.5% below the national average for rent.

Short-term housing near New Albany/Licking County is heavily impacted by construction demand. Extended stay hotels run $139–$159/night midrange, peaking at $175–$195 in summer. Total lodging tax is 15.5% (stays over 30 nights may be exempt). RV parks include Lazy River at Granville (~25 min from New Albany), Berkshire Campground in Galena (~20 min), and Cross Creek in Delaware (~30 min) — most operate April–October with limited winter options.

Requirements — what to bring

• OSHA-10 is mandatory on virtually all calls at Local 683 and Local 1105. OSHA-30 preferred on some larger projects.
• Drug card required at both locals. Standard urine testing through the NECA/IBEW Drug-Free Workplace Program. Some projects (Intel, federally funded) may require hair follicle testing. The Drug-Free Reciprocal Coalition accepts cards from participating locals.
• Background checks required on most data center projects.
• Special certs on select projects: NFPA 70E (Bechtel/Intel), welding cert, fire alarm license, MV/LV termination experience.
• Documentation: Two forms of ID, voided check for direct deposit. Local 1105 requires letter of introduction from home local or W2s/paystubs. Local 683 accepts travel letters via email to HIRINGHALL@IBEW683.ORG.

Over-scale pay and PLAs

Over-scale pay is widespread across the New Albany corridor. Current confirmed incentives from Local 1105 dispatch (April 2026):

• Cupertino Electric, ESI, McGraw Kokosing, TD4, Newkirk: $2.01/hr over scale, all OT at double time, daily lunches
• Hatzel & Buehler: 10% over scale through Local 683
• Bechtel: Attendance bonuses ($300 for 45 hrs, $100 more for 58 hrs)
• Most calls run 5-10s (50 hrs/week) or 6-10s (60 hrs/week)

Confirmed PLAs: Intel (National Construction Agreement + Davis-Bacon), Honda/LG battery (Columbus Building Trades), Cleveland Clinic (PLA), Cleveland Hopkins Airport (PLA). AWS uses union signatory contractors but no formal PLA.

Pay breakdown: what traveling JWs actually earn in Ohio

Working at Local 1105 on a typical Vantage/data center call at $2.01 over scale ($45.11/hr) on a 5-10s schedule:

On a 6-10s schedule (60 hrs):

Plus the full benefit package (~$24.75/hr) going to your annuity, pension, and health fund. On an annualized basis, a traveler working steady 50-hour weeks grosses roughly $140,000+ before taxes.

Risks and headwinds travelers should watch

Community resistance is growing

Approximately 18 Ohio municipalities have considered or enacted data center moratoriums. South Bloomfield eliminated all industrial zoning entirely. The Wilmington planning commission tabled AWS's $4B project twice. An Ohio ballot initiative certified April 2, 2026 would prohibit construction of data centers consuming over 25 MW/month — it needs 413,488 signatures by July 2026 for the November ballot. If passed, this could be devastating to the pipeline.

Grid capacity is maxed

AEP Ohio issued a moratorium on new data center hookups. Current peak demand is ~4,000 MW, but prospective customers have requested 30,000 MW. Data centers must now pay for grid upgrades, commit to 85% minimum purchasing, and sign 12-year contracts.

Tariffs are squeezing costs

Steel, aluminum, and copper items hit with 50% tariffs; electrical equipment at 15%. Aluminum up 33% year-over-year, steel up 20.7%, copper up 15.7%. MEP-heavy projects like data centers are especially exposed.

Intel keeps slipping

Completion pushed from 2025 to 2030–2031. Intel lost $2.9B quarterly, cut 15% of workforce, and replaced its CEO. But CHIPS Act money is secure and the government's equity stake aligns federal interests with the project.

Bottom line for travelers: Projects already approved and under construction will proceed. The active pipeline through 2028 is enormous. New projects face longer timelines. The ballot initiative is the primary wildcard.

How Ohio compares to other hot IBEW markets

Ohio's unique edge: non-RTW state, multiple concurrent projects, National Construction Agreements on key work, record construction hours, lower cost of living than Arizona or Virginia, and central geographic location accessible from the Midwest and East Coast.

Key contractors actively hiring in Ohio (April 2026)

Based on live dispatch boards at Local 683 and Local 1105:

• Cupertino Electric — 34+ JWs, data centers (Local 1105)
• ESI / The Superior Group — 16–19+ JWs, Local 1105 + Local 683
• Eagle Electric — Cologix & Dublin DC (Local 683)
• Mid-City Electric — 19+ JWs, NAB project (Local 1105)
• TD4 — 14+ JWs, Vantage (Local 1105)
• Hatzel & Buehler — 10% over scale (Local 683)
• Bechtel — Intel Project Cardinal (Local 1105)
• McGraw Kokosing — NLH + Dennison Solar (Local 1105)
• Newkirk Electric — Gas power plant, 12-month call (Local 1105)
• New River — Project Mustang (Local 683)
• Vader Electric — Children's Hospital (Local 683)
• TSG — New Columbus Airport (Local 683)

Check the latest open calls on our interactive map or the hot spots page.

Frequently asked questions

How much do IBEW electricians make in Ohio?

JW base rates range from $35.43/hr (Local 212, Cincinnati) to $48.40/hr (Local 8, Toledo and Local 246, Steubenville). The hottest locals — 683 (Columbus) and 1105 (Nashport) — pay $43.00–$43.10/hr base with widespread $2.01/hr over-scale bonuses on data center work. With 50–60 hour weeks at double-time OT, gross weekly earnings reach $2,700–$3,600+.

Is Ohio a right-to-work state?

No. Ohio is one of 24 states (plus D.C.) without right-to-work laws. Employers covered by collective bargaining agreements can require union membership and dues as a condition of employment, which strengthens IBEW bargaining power and ensures better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

What IBEW local covers Columbus, Ohio?

IBEW Local 683 covers inside electrical work in Columbus and central Ohio including Franklin, Delaware, Pickaway, Union, Madison, and Fairfield counties. Do not confuse with Local 71, which covers outside construction (transmission and distribution).

What IBEW local covers the Intel project in Ohio?

IBEW Local 1105 in Nashport/Licking County covers the Intel Ohio One semiconductor fab, along with most New Albany data center projects on the Licking County side. Bechtel's "Project Cardinal" dispatches through Local 1105.

Do I need a drug test to work IBEW in Ohio?

Yes. Both Local 683 and Local 1105 require a current drug card or testing at time of referral. Standard testing is urine through SAMHSA-certified labs. Some federally funded projects (Intel) may require hair follicle testing. The Drug-Free Reciprocal Coalition accepts valid cards from participating locals.

What is IBEW Book 2 and how do I sign it?

Book 2 is the out-of-work list for travelers — IBEW members from other locals looking for work in a different jurisdiction. You sign Book 2 at the local where you want to work. At Local 1105, you can sign by faxing your letter of introduction to 740-454-6727 or in person. At Local 683, email your travel letter to HIRINGHALL@IBEW683.ORG. When calls go unfilled from Book 1 (local members), they roll to Book 2.

Are data center jobs in Ohio long calls?

Many are. Newkirk Electric has a 12-month call at Local 1105 for a gas power plant. The Intel project has years of work remaining (through 2030+). Vantage has three buildings phased through 2028. Most data center calls run 6–12+ months, making Ohio one of the best markets for travelers who want stability.

What certifications do I need for data center work?

OSHA-10 minimum on virtually all calls. OSHA-30 preferred on larger projects. NFPA 70E required on Bechtel/Intel work. Some calls require welding certs, fire alarm licenses, or medium/low voltage termination experience. A current drug card and background check clearance are standard.

Does Ohio have local income taxes?

Yes — over 600 municipalities levy income taxes at 0.5%–3.0%, based on where you work. Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Akron all charge 2.5%. Combined with the flat 2.75% state rate, travelers working in central Ohio face approximately 5.0%–5.5% in state + local taxes on top of federal.

The bottom line: should you travel to Ohio in 2026?

Yes — if you want steady work at premium pay, Ohio is the move. The combination of 150+ unfilled daily calls, double-time overtime, over-scale pay, 12-month calls, and a non-right-to-work environment makes central Ohio the best market in America for IBEW travelers right now.

The Intel delay extends the timeline rather than killing it. Data center demand from Meta, AWS, Google, Microsoft, Vantage, EdgeConneX, and Cologix creates a diversified workload that doesn't depend on any single project. Healthcare and solar add even more depth.

What to do right now:

1. Check live open calls at Local 683 and Local 1105 on our map
2. Get your OSHA-10, drug card, and background check current
3. Contact the hiring hall: HIRINGHALL@IBEW683.ORG or fax Local 1105 at 740-454-6727
4. Browse the hot spots page to compare Ohio against other markets
5. Join the GoHereBro forum to connect with brothers and sisters already on the ground

Ohio isn't slowing down. Get there before everyone else figures it out.