How much do solar installers make in 2026?
Solar photovoltaic installers earn a national median of $53,140 a year ($25.55 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 47-2231), with the bottom 10% at about $41,600 and the top 10% at $79,970. The occupation carries the fastest projected growth in the entire survey — 42.1% through 2034 — with roughly 4,100 openings a year, and the honest way to read those two facts together is that fast growth does not mean high pay. Racking and module installation is learnable in weeks, which keeps entry rates near the bottom of the band, and much residential solar work is performed by crews where only the lead holds electrical qualification. The pay above the median therefore belongs to the electrically qualified: licensed electricians doing interconnection, technicians commissioning inverters and battery storage systems, and commercial and utility-scale crews handling higher-voltage work. NABCEP certification is the recognised industry credential. → Full solar installer career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $53,140 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Solar Installers earn a national median $53,140/yr ($25.55/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2231); the P10 to P90 range is $41,600 to $79,970.
- Solar photovoltaic installation carries the fastest projected growth in the survey at 42.1% through 2034, but pay sits in a modest $41,600 to $79,970 band.
- Racking and module work is quick to learn, which holds entry rates down; the pay above the median goes to electrically qualified interconnection and commissioning work.
- Battery storage, inverter commissioning and commercial or utility-scale work — plus NABCEP certification — are the practical routes toward the top of the range.
US Solar Installer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do solar installers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2231; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2231, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a solar installer earn at each career stage?
Solar pay follows electrical qualification and system scale rather than time on the tools. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2231.
By State
Which states pay solar installers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Solar is the most policy-dependent trade in this set: state incentive programmes, net-metering rules, interconnection processes and licensing requirements — some states require an electrical or specialty solar licence for parts of the work — determine both how much work exists and who may perform it. Markets that cut incentives have seen installer demand fall quickly.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($61,110), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay solar installers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a solar installer’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does solar installer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Solar Installers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify solar installer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a solar installer actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Solar Installer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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