Solar Photovoltaic Installers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for solar photovoltaic installerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $57,900 ≈ $28/hr
National median salary $53,140
Total employment 31,350 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +42.1% Much faster than average
Annual openings 4,100 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 28,600 → 40,600 (+12,000)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

Mean annual wage $47,000–$51,000 $51,000–$54,000 $54,000–$56,000 $56,000–$62,000 $62,000–$79,000 U.S. mean $57,900

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. New Jersey$78,690
  2. Hawaii$73,000
  3. Oregon$71,390
  4. Nevada$70,830
  5. Maine$64,350

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. North Carolina$47,420
  2. Arkansas$48,710
  3. Indiana$49,310
  4. Michigan$50,520
  5. Pennsylvania$50,680
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 New Jersey $78,690 $78,950 $38 +35.9% 1,880
2 Hawaii $73,000 $70,370 $35 +26.1% 420
3 Oregon $71,390 $66,320 $34 +23.3% 360
4 Nevada $70,830 $67,810 $34 +22.3% 100
5 Maine $64,350 $61,210 $31 +11.1% 60
6 California $63,280 $60,600 $30 +9.3% 6,830
7 Illinois $62,480 $59,630 $30 +7.9%
8 Massachusetts $61,910 $59,180 $30 +6.9% 620
9 Ohio $59,010 $62,400 $28 +1.9% 70
10 Wisconsin $58,150 $49,770 $28 +0.4% 90
11 Washington $58,030 $61,630 $28 +0.2%
12 New York $56,940 $56,160 $27 -1.7% 1,230
13 Iowa $56,890 $56,740 $27 -1.7% 180
14 Vermont $55,730 $49,490 $27 -3.7% 250
15 Connecticut $55,290 $55,590 $27 -4.5%

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 52 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area $78,420 $81,640 40
2 Kahului-Wailuku, HI $78,360 $77,060 40
3 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $72,150 $72,470 710
4 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $71,630 $72,270 280
5 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $70,130 $74,770 2,190
6 Urban Honolulu, HI $69,940 $71,460 330
7 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $69,550 $74,210 40
8 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV $67,810 $71,200 60
9 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $66,320 $72,710 210
10 Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area $64,540 $70,610 30

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing solar photovoltaic installerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services $96,440 $88,440
2 Other Electric Power Generation $81,170 $81,600
3 Sectors 31, 32, and 33 - Manufacturing $78,580 $80,240 40
4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $67,940 $66,750
5 Sector 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $67,940 $66,750
6 Wind Electric Power Generation $66,080 $67,410 380
7 Residential Building Construction $63,460 $67,040 600
8 Roofing Contractors $62,470 $72,160 140
9 Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors $61,210 $71,750 140
10 Construction of Buildings $59,640 $64,170 1,380
11 Nonresidential Building Construction $58,730 $61,980
12 Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors $58,570 $62,160 11,950

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
5,963
$10-20k
4,771
$20-30k
2,628
$30-40k
7,339
$40-50k
3,101
$50-60k
2,313
$60-70k
3,311
$70-80k
938
$80-90k
789
$90-100k
1,222
$100-110k
917
$130-140k
156
$200k+
139

Pay by age band

16-24
$33,886
25-34
$41,686
35-44
$33,518
45-54
$59,127
55-64
$25,535
65+
$32,423

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$35,973
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$27,880
Some college, but less than 1 year
$35,857
Associates Degree
$47,735
GED or alternative credential
$28,688
Bachelors Degree
$66,685
12th grade - no diploma
$34,569
No schooling completed
$28,159
Grade 8
$25,148
Grade 10
$38,956
Grade 11
$56,412
Grade 9
$42,192
Grade 2
$19,862
Masters Degree
$103,994
Grade 3
$2,257

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
25,177 · $46,113
Part-time
2,187 · $24,259

Race / ethnicity

White
$38,057
Two or More Races
$34,343
Other
$43,415
Black
$32,945
Asian
$58,113
American Indian
$5,118
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$40,781
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$30,586

Top fields of study

Finance
$91,757
Mechanical Engineering
$115,341
Political Science And Government
$96,854
Environmental Science
$25,488
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$81,049
Microbiology
$66,269
Public Administration
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do solar photovoltaic installers make in the U.S.?

The median solar photovoltaic installers salary in the United States is $53,140 per year (mean $57,900), and about 80% earn between $41,600 and $79,970.

How much do solar photovoltaic installers make per hour?

Roughly $28 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $57,900 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays solar photovoltaic installers the most?

New Jersey has the highest average pay for solar photovoltaic installers at $78,690 per year (median $78,950).

What is the job outlook for solar photovoltaic installers?

Employment is projected to change +42.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 4,100 openings per year.