how fast do electrons move through a copper wire

There are two ways to interpret “fast” when it comes to electrons in a wire:

Electron drift velocity: This refers to the average speed at which electrons slowly meander through the wire in the direction of the current. This speed is actually quite slow, typically on the order of 0.02 centimeters per second (or about 0.5 inches per minute) for a typical current in a household wire.

Signal propagation speed: This refers to how quickly a change (like turning on a switch) travels through the wire. This speed is incredibly fast, almost as fast as the speed of light (around 300,000 kilometers per second).

The slow drift velocity of the electrons themselves might seem surprising, but it’s the rapid signal propagation that allows electricity to travel and power our devices almost instantaneously.