Solar Photovoltaic Installers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$53,140

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$46,700 – $62,870

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

31,350

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+36.5%

Growing at twice the all-jobs rate or more (7%+)

Openings a year (projected)

4,200

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. May include measuring, cutting, assembling, and bolting structural framing and solar modules. May perform minor electrical work such as current checks.

Main tasks

• Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions.
• Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
• Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations.
• Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
• Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified.
• Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms.
• Install module array interconnect wiring, implementing measures to disable arrays during installation.
• Install required labels on solar system components and hardware.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 3 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

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