Mike Holt State Rating of the Electrical Industry - 2026 Report

Mike Holt State Rating of the Electrical Industry - 2026 Report

Mike Holt's Rating of the Electrical Industry - 2026

HOW WE RANK THE STATES

As part of our commitment to electrical safety, we annually update our report, which ranks states based on measurable statewide criteria. I recognize that there are a lot of individuals who are passionate about electrical safety and do everything that they can to introduce laws and regulations in their communities to achieve those goals. I salute their efforts, but only state-mandated criteria are reflected in this report.

2026 NEC ADOPTION

Congratulations to the following states where the 2026 NEC is in effect:
Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming

Oregon. 2026 NEC adopted with an effective date of 10/1/26.
Washington. 2026 NEC adopted with an effective date of 12/31/26.

The 2026 NEC officially became available on September 9, 2025.

2026 AT A GLANCE

6 ↑

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin improved

4 A+

Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Oregon are the only four states that have an A+ ranking

25

States slide down one point because the grading scale shifted for the new 2026 NEC cycle

HOW THE SAFETY RATING WORKS
12 POINTS POSSIBLE
Points are assigned only for regulations required statewide.

NEC Adoption (up to 3 points).
Licensing (up to 5 points) for Apprentice, Journeyman, Master/Contractor, Inspector, and Engineer.
Continuing Education (up to 4 points). CEUs, CPCs, or PDHs required for license renewal.

Important: What the report cannot consider
Local Adoptions. We commend counties and municipalities that continue to set high safety standards, but they aren't reflected in the state rating.
Enforcement or effectiveness. We can't measure enforcement or its impact on incidents or electrical fires. If you know of a fair, statewide metric we could apply, we'd love to hear from you.

WHY DID SO MANY GRADES DROP?
Because 2026 begins a new NEC cycle, states that have not yet adopted the 2026 NEC slide down one point due to a scale artifact. A lower grade does not necessarily mean the state rolled back a requirement.

ADDITIONAL CEU INFORMATION
Our report breaks down state requirements to a standard unit of average hours required annually. While CEU requirements are factored into our safety grading system, we've also created a stand-alone rating system for CEUs which shows the average annual hours required by each state. VIEW CEU RANKINGS.

We'd appreciate your feedback.
If you have any updated information that you feel would change our rankings on this year's report, please post your comment below. We appreciate your input to help keep this analysis accurate and current.

How does your state rank for electrical safety?

All 12 points are required for an A+ grade. The linked PDF shows the history and detailed point breakdown.

Click here to see how the grades below were calculated.

STATE NAME	2022 GRADE	2023 GRADE	2024 GRADE	2025 GRADE	2026 GRADE
ALABAMA	B-	B	B	B	C
ALASKA	A	A-	A-	A-	B+
ARIZONA	F	F	F	F	F
ARKANSAS	A	A	A	A	A-
CALIFORNIA	A-	A-	A-	A-	A-
COLORADO	A	A	A	A	A
CONNECTICUT	A-	A-	A-	A-	B+
DELAWARE	A+	A	A	A	A-
FLORIDA	B	B	B	B	B-
GEORGIA	B-	C+	C+	B-	C+
HAWAII	C+	C+	C+	C+	C
IDAHO	A-	B+	A	B+	B
ILLINOIS	F	F	F	F	F
INDIANA	F	F	F	F	F
IOWA	A+	A	A	A+	A
KANSAS	F	F	F	F	F
KENTUCKY	A-	B+	B+	A	A-
LOUISIANA	C	C+	C+	C+	C
MAINE	A+	A	A+	A+	A+
MARYLAND	C+	C+	C+	A-	B
MASSACHUSETTS	A-	A-	A-	A-	↑ A
MICHIGAN	A	B+	A	A	A-
MINNESOTA	A+	A+	A+	A+	A+
MISSISSIPPI	F	F	F	F	F
MISSOURI	F	F	F	F	F
MONTANA	A-	A-	A-	A-	B+
NEBRASKA	A	A-	A-	A+	A
NEVADA	D	D	D	D	D
NEW HAMPSHIRE	B+	B+	B+	B+	↑ A-
NEW JERSEY	A-	A-	A-	A-	↑ A
NEW MEXICO	B+	B+	B+	B+	B
NEW YORK	C+	C	C	C	↑ C+
NORTH CAROLINA	B+	B	B	B	B-
NORTH DAKOTA	A+	A	A	A+	A+
OHIO	B-	B-	B+	B+	B
OKLAHOMA	A-	A-	A-	A	A-
OREGON	A+	A	A+	A+	A+
PENNSYLVANIA	C+	C	C	C	C
RHODE ISLAND	A-	B+	B+	B+	↑ A-
SOUTH CAROLINA	B-	B-	B-	B-	C+
SOUTH DAKOTA	A+	A	A	A+	A
TENNESSEE	B-	B-	B-	B-	C+
TEXAS	A-	A-	A-	A-	A-
UTAH	A	A-	A-	A-	A-
VERMONT	A-	B+	B+	B+	B+
VIRGINIA	A-	B+	A-	A-	B+
WASHINGTON	A	A-	A	A	A
WEST VIRGINIA	B+	B	B	B	B-
WISCONSIN	B+	B	B	B+	↑ A-
WYOMING	A+	A+	A+	A+	A

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