Free Solar Workforce Tool
Solar Installer Salary Calculator
Built on BLS wage data for solar photovoltaic installers, not scraped job-board averages. Estimate pay by state, experience, specialty and certification — with every figure capped at the percentile BLS actually publishes.
Built by SubcontractorHub — the software solar contractors use to quote, finance, and run every job.
Book a DemoEstimated annual pay
$60,600
~50th percentile (median)
Hourly equivalent
$29.13
at 2,080 hrs/yr
vs national median
+14%
national median $53,140
Base figures come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 (SOC 47-2231). Specialty and certification premiums are SubcontractorHub estimates from contractor pay data, not BLS series, and actual offers vary with employer, union status, per-diem, overtime and local demand. All calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user. This tool is provided as a free service for planning purposes only and is not a substitute for a formal offer, a negotiated wage, or professional career or tax advice.
Solar installer pay by state (BLS, May 2025)
| State | Median | 90th percentile | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $78,950 | $102,050 | +49% |
| Nevada | $67,810 | $89,200 | +28% |
| Oregon | $66,320 | $87,370 | +25% |
| Washington | $61,630 | $61,640 | +16% |
| California | $60,600 | $83,770 | +14% |
| Illinois | $59,630 | $103,460 | +12% |
| Massachusetts | $59,180 | $76,280 | +11% |
| New York | $56,160 | $74,770 | +6% |
| Arizona | $51,160 | $78,780 | -4% |
| Florida | $50,550 | $76,550 | -5% |
| Colorado | $49,730 | $76,170 | -6% |
| Texas | $48,240 | $73,690 | -9% |
Only states where BLS publishes both a median and a 90th percentile for SOC 47-2231 are shown. At roughly 31,350 installers nationally the occupation is small enough that many states are suppressed for confidentiality.
Average Solar Installer Salary in 2026
The average solar photovoltaic installer earns $57,900 a year. The median — the figure that describes a typical installer better than the average does — is $53,140, or $25.55 an hour. The bottom 10 percent earn under $41,600 and the top 10 percent clear $79,970.
The mean sits about $4,760 above the median because a small group of licensed and utility-scale installers pulls the top of the distribution upward. When a job board advertises an "average" well above $60,000, it is usually quoting a mean shaped by that tail, or mixing in solar sales roles, which pay on commission and are a different job entirely.
How solar pay compares to the licensed trades
Solar installation pays below every established building trade at the median: electricians $63,190, plumbers $63,800, HVAC technicians $61,010, against $53,140 for solar. That is the honest picture, and it is also the clearest argument for adding a credential. An electrical license is worth roughly a 12 percent premium inside solar work and opens the higher-paying trade outright — see the electrician salary calculator for that comparison, or compare all four trades side by side.
What actually moves an installer's pay
State matters more than almost anything else: New Jersey's median of $78,950 is 49 percent above the national figure, while Texas sits at $48,240. California employs the most installers by a wide margin and still pays a median of $60,600 — volume of work and rate of pay are not the same thing. After geography, the reliable levers are a NABCEP credential, battery and storage work, and moving from residential rooftop to commercial or utility-scale field construction.
For contractors on the other side of this equation, labor cost is the number that decides whether a install is profitable. The labor burden calculator turns a wage into a true hourly cost, and solar contractor software ties crew cost back to job profitability per install.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the average solar installer salary?
- The average solar photovoltaic installer salary is $57,900 per year, and the median is $53,140 — about $25.55 an hour — per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 (SOC 47-2231). The bottom 10 percent earn under $41,600 and the top 10 percent earn over $79,970. The mean sits above the median because a relatively small group of licensed and utility-scale installers pulls the top of the range upward.
- How much do solar installers make an hour?
- The median solar photovoltaic installer earns $25.55 per hour nationally. Entry-level ground crew typically start near $20 an hour, experienced installers run $25 to $30, and crew leads with a NABCEP credential or an electrical license commonly clear $34 an hour. Utility-scale field work often pays a per-diem on top of the hourly rate, which materially changes take-home pay without showing up in the wage figure.
- Which state pays solar installers the most?
- New Jersey leads the states where BLS publishes solar installer wages, with a median of $78,950 — nearly 49 percent above the national median. Nevada follows at $67,810 and Oregon at $66,320. California, despite having by far the largest solar workforce, has a median of $60,600, which is a reminder that installer volume and installer pay are not the same thing. Texas is the lowest of the major solar states at $48,240.
- Do solar installers make more than electricians?
- No. Electricians have a national median of $63,190 against $53,140 for solar photovoltaic installers, a gap of about $10,000 a year. That gap is the single strongest argument for an installer to pursue an electrical license: it is worth roughly a 12 percent premium inside solar work and it opens the higher-paying electrical trade as an alternative. Solar installation is one of the more accessible entry points into the trades, but its ceiling is lower than the licensed trades unless the installer adds a credential.
- Is solar installation a good career?
- It has a low barrier to entry — most crews hire without prior experience and train on the job — with a median wage close to the national all-occupation median and no degree requirement. The trade-offs are real: it is outdoor rooftop work with genuine fall exposure, the workforce is small at roughly 31,350 employed nationally, and demand is more sensitive to policy and interest rates than the established trades. Installers who add NABCEP certification or an electrical license see both pay and stability improve substantially.
Quote, Finance, and Install Every System in One Platform
SubcontractorHub is the platform solar contractors use to turn production and savings numbers like these into a branded proposal, with lease, loan, and cash financing side by side and a signed job that moves straight into project management. This tool is free to use; the platform is here if you want a closer look.
Book a Free DemoWage figures on this page reflect BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics published for May 2025 and describe historical wages, not current offers in any specific market. Individual compensation varies with employer, union agreement, per-diem, overtime, prevailing-wage requirements and local demand. All calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user. This tool is provided as a free service for planning purposes only and is not a substitute for a formal offer, a negotiated wage, or professional career or tax advice.