How Much Does a Solar PV Installer Make? (2024)
Electrical · SOC Code 47-2231 · 2-year apprenticeship
The average solar pv installer earns $53,971 per year ($26/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $38,650 to $70,390 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $53,510 and top earners making $98,740+.
Most solar pv installers don't hit $100K — top-decile pay tops out at $98,740
The 90th-percentile solar pv installer in San Francisco, CA earns $98,740 per year ($47/hour). Workers who hit six figures in this trade are usually overtime-heavy industrial workers, foremen, or contractor-owners — those numbers sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
National Salary Range
Solar PV Installer salaries range from $38,650 to $70,390 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Solar PV Installer Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $70,390 | $53,510 – $98,740 | $37,047 | B | 1,140 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $66,070 | $47,820 – $78,510 | $63,529 | A | 100 |
| New York, NY | $61,140 | $47,270 – $96,300 | $32,695 | B | 1,570 |
| Portland, OR | $59,830 | $50,780 – $75,250 | $46,023 | B | 130 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $59,660 | $47,520 – $83,200 | $35,940 | B | 1,870 |
| Kansas City, MO | $57,200 | $45,230 – $69,990 | $60,851 | A | 0 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $54,380 | $48,500 – $88,760 | $47,287 | B | 380 |
| Denver, CO | $51,860 | $45,340 – $70,980 | $40,516 | B | 0 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $51,540 | $47,020 – $64,650 | $50,039 | B | 1,090 |
| Miami, FL | $48,930 | $44,480 – $62,540 | $40,107 | B | 410 |
| Tampa, FL | $48,870 | $43,750 – $60,950 | $48,386 | B | 220 |
| Houston, TX | $46,020 | $37,540 – $63,040 | $47,938 | B | 1,190 |
| Dallas, TX | $41,050 | $38,670 – $63,870 | $40,245 | B | 1,770 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $38,650 | $38,650 – $53,430 | $42,473 | B | 480 |
About Solar PV Installer Pay
Solar PV Installers earn a national median salary of $53,971 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $70,390 median, while Indianapolis offers the lowest at $38,650.
Becoming a solar pv installer typically requires a 2-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $53,510, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $98,740 or more. With 22% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing faster than average.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a solar pv installer?
Step-by-step path: 2-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Electrical Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
The average solar pv installer salary is $53,971 per year ($26/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $38,650 to $70,390 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Solar PV Installers earn an average hourly wage of $26/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $26/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $47/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for solar pv installers at $70,390. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of B and 22% wage growth over 5 years, solar pv installer is growing faster than many occupations. There are approximately 10,350 jobs nationwide across 14 metro areas.
Becoming a solar pv installer typically requires a 2-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $53,510 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.