Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Solar PV Installer Salary in Tampa
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Electrical · COL Index: 101
Solar PV Installers in Tampa, FL earn a median annual wage of $48,870 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,750 and the 90th at $60,950. After cost of living, that translates to $48,386 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (80/100).
What Solar PV Installers Take Home in Tampa
The $17,200 spread between entry-level and top-decile solar pv installers in Tampa is relatively narrow — about 35% of the median. That tight band usually signals a trade where pay scales primarily with experience rather than employer or specialization. New entrants can expect to climb steadily toward median pay over their first 5-10 years.
Tampa's cost-of-living index of 101 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $48,870 median for solar pv installers here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $48,386 in U.S.-average terms. What you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment up or down.
With a Trade Pay Score of 80 (B), solar pv installers in Tampa land in the strong second tier. Pay, growth, and purchasing power are all solid but one factor — usually wage growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay — keeps the score below the A threshold. For most workers, B-graded combinations are perfectly reasonable career choices.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $43,750 | $43,317 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $44,330 | $43,891 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $48,870 | $48,386 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $60,630 | $60,030 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $60,950 | $60,347 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for solar pv installers, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Tampa are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Solar PV Installer make in Tampa?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median solar pv installer salary in Tampa, FL is $48,870. The 10th percentile is $43,750 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $60,950 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Tampa pay compare for Solar PV Installers?
With a Trade Pay Score of 80/100 and a grade of B, the Tampa-Solar PV Installer pairing is a strong combination but with one factor (usually growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay) holding it back from an A grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Solar PV Installers in Tampa?
Solar PV Installers typically complete a 2-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($43,750) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Solar PV Installer pay in Tampa?
Tampa has a cost-of-living index of 101. The median solar pv installer salary of $48,870 translates to $48,386 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Other High-Paying Trades in Tampa
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$76,750 median · Grade C
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Solar PV Installers in Tampa, FL earn a median annual wage of $48,870 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,750 and the 90th at $60,950. After cost of living, that translates to $48,386 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (80/100).
The Solar PV Installers in Tampa, FL record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how Solar PV Installers in Tampa, FL sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for Solar PV Installers in Tampa, FL is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.