Solar Energy Installer Salary Guide 2026
Published: May 21, 2026 | Category: Salary Guides | By Qualora Career Advisors
Solar installer wages vary by state, and BLS May 2024 data shows why location matters. Compare five major markets before you map your next step.
Quick answer
This guide uses exact Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state rows for Solar Photovoltaic Installers (SOC 47-2231). In this five-state sample, the highest published mean annual wage is California at $66,440 mean annual pay, the lowest is Texas at $47,620 mean annual pay, and the largest published employment base is California with 8,970 employed solar photovoltaic installers.
That does not mean every beginner in that state will earn that number. These are BLS wage figures for all workers in the occupation, and the state table publishes mean wages rather than a state-by-state median for this guide.
BLS May 2024 state wage table
| State | Mean Annual Wage | Mean Hourly Wage | Employment | Employment per 1,000 | Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $66,440 | $31.94 | 8,970 | 0.496 | 2.71 |
| Texas | $47,620 | $22.89 | 5,370 | 0.388 | 2.11 |
| Florida | $51,070 | $24.55 | 1,940 | 0.198 | 1.08 |
| New York | $56,790 | $27.30 | ** | ** | ** |
| Pennsylvania | $50,970 | $24.51 | 650 | 0.107 | 0.59 |
What the five-state table says
California is the clear leader in this sample at $66,440 mean annual wage, with both the largest published employment count (8,970) and the strongest location quotient (2.71).
Texas is the lowest wage market of the five at $47,620, but it still shows strong occupational concentration with a 2.11 location quotient. That tells you solar installation is established there even with lower published pay than California or New York.
New York is a special case. BLS publishes the wage fields ($56,790 annual and $27.30 hourly) but suppresses employment, employment-per-1,000, and location quotient as
**How to read this guide without overpromising
A state wage table is useful, but it is not a salary guarantee. Employers still pay differently based on experience, specialty, shift, industry, metro area, and whether the job is closer to entry-level support work or more advanced production work.
The other important detail is that this page uses state mean annual wage and state mean hourly wage from the BLS workbook. If you are comparing this guide to a national median you saw somewhere else, do not treat those as the same number. The measures answer different questions.
That is also why this page stays conservative. It does not invent a certification premium, remote-work premium, or state relocation payoff that the BLS table itself does not publish.
Best next step if you are comparing training paths
For the broader role, training path, and fit questions, open the Solar Energy Technician career page. If you are still comparing fast-entry routes, read 5 careers you can start in 3 months, browse the Workforce Training hub, or use the career quiz.
BLS source note
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, state downloadable workbook (
/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zipstate_M2024_dlFigures on this page represent BLS wage data for the occupation as a whole, not a promise about what a new learner will earn after training.
Frequently Asked Questions
What BLS occupation does this salary guide use?
This guide uses Solar Photovoltaic Installers, SOC 47-2231, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 state workbook.
Which of these five states pays the most?
California has the highest published mean annual wage in this five-state sample at $66,440. Texas is the lowest of the five at $47,620.
Does this table show state median pay?
No. The figures in the state table are the published mean annual and hourly wages from BLS OEWS May 2024, not a state-by-state median for this page.
Does this guarantee what a beginner will make?
No. BLS occupation-level wage data is useful market context, but it is not an offer, guarantee, or promise of entry-level pay.
Where should I go next on Qualora?
Start with the primary career page for the full role overview, then compare related articles, courses, or categories before you decide on training.
Related Career Paths
Tags: salary, solar-energy, photovoltaic, bls