How much do solar installers make?
The median solar installer in the United States earns $25.55 an hour, or $53,140 a year. The bottom 10% earn under $20.00 an hour; the top 10% clear $38.45. There are about 31,350 people doing this work nationally.
Those are US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for employed workers, which is the honest baseline — and also the number most people are actually looking for. What you can bill as a self-employed contractor is a different question, and we cover it below.
One caveat on the occupation. BLS tracks this as Solar Photovoltaic Installers (SOC 47-2231). It is a small and young occupation, and BLS publishes state figures for only 32 states — the rankings below cover those 32, not all 51 jurisdictions.
The full range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $20.00 | $41,600 |
| Median | $25.55 | $53,140 |
| Average (mean) | $27.84 | $57,907 |
| Top 10% | $38.45 | $79,976 |
The top decile earns 1.9× what the bottom decile earns, and 50% above the median. That gap is the useful part of this data: it is not really one job with one wage, it is a wide range where skill, licence and market decide where you land.
Where it pays most
New Jersey pays the highest median at $37.96 an hour; South Dakota the lowest at $20.37. That is a 1.9× difference for the same job.
Highest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $37.96 | $78,950 | +49% |
| Hawaii | $33.83 | $70,370 | +32% |
| Nevada | $32.60 | $67,810 | +28% |
| Oregon | $31.88 | $66,320 | +25% |
| Ohio | $30.00 | $62,400 | +17% |
Lowest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $20.37 | $42,380 | -20% |
| North Carolina | $21.09 | $43,860 | -17% |
| Arkansas | $21.55 | $44,820 | -16% |
| Maryland | $21.84 | $45,430 | -15% |
| Indiana | $22.18 | $46,140 | -13% |
Cost of living explains a lot of that spread but not all of it — licensing regimes and the local mix of commercial versus residential work matter too.
What actually moves the number
An electrical licence is the single biggest lever — installers who can do the interconnection themselves, not just the racking, earn well above the range. Commercial and utility-scale work pays above residential rooftop, and NABCEP certification is what larger employers screen on.
Employed pay vs what you can bill
Everything above measures employed solar installers — W-2 wages. If you work for yourself, your billed rate has to cover a great deal that a wage does not: self-employment tax, insurance, vehicle and tools, unbillable hours spent quoting and chasing payment, and time lost between jobs.
A useful rule is that a self-employed rate needs to be roughly two to three times the equivalent employed wage before you are genuinely ahead. Our profit margin calculator works that out properly from your own overhead rather than a rule of thumb.
FAQ
How much do solar installers make an hour?
The national median is $25.55 an hour. The range runs from about $20.00 at the bottom tenth to $38.45 at the top tenth, so where you sit depends heavily on licence level, specialisation and state.
What is a good salary for a solar installer?
Above the $53,140 median puts you in the upper half nationally. Clearing $79,976 puts you in the top 10% of the occupation. Adjust for your state — the gap between New Jersey and South Dakota is roughly 1.9×.
Which state pays solar installers the most?
New Jersey, at a median of $37.96 an hour — 49% above the national median. Cost of living offsets some of that, so compare take-home rather than headline rate.
Can solar installers make six figures?
As an employee it is uncommon: the top 10% reach about $79,976. It is far more achievable running your own business, where you keep the margin on other people's labour as well as your own — but that is a different job, with the overhead and risk to match.
Where does this data come from?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, 2025 release, for Solar Photovoltaic Installers (SOC 472231). It is the same source used across our state-by-state rate pages, so the figures are directly comparable.