Lead Solar Installer Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Lead Solar Installer in the United States was $53,140 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $46,700 and $62,870.
Broader occupation Our title "Lead Solar Installer" is reported by BLS as SOC 47-2231 Solar Photovoltaic Installers. BLS groups Lead Solar Installer within Solar Photovoltaic Installers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages
Lead Solar Installer, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $41,600, half earned less than the median of $53,140, 90% earned less than $79,970 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,600 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $46,700 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $53,140 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $62,870 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $79,970 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $57,900 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Lead Solar Installer, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $20.00, half earned less than the median of $25.55, 90% earned less than $38.45 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.00 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.45 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $25.55 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.23 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $38.45 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $27.84 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 31,350 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 47-2231 Solar Photovoltaic Installers, National.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $48,290 | $46,110 to $54,890 | 510 | 0.9 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $51,170 | $46,390 to $54,340 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $46,660 | $45,790 to $53,680 | 420 | 1.47 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Not published by BLS for this area. North Carolina median: $43,860. | |||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $70,130 | $56,160 to $102,050 | 2,190 | 1.15 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $70,130 | $56,160 to $102,050 | 2,190 | 1.15 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $48,350 | $39,680 to $58,350 | 1,570 | 1.93 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $47,060 | $43,610 to $59,960 | 1,620 | 2.45 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Not published by BLS for this area. Illinois median: $59,630. | |||
How does Lead Solar Installer pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 47-2231, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 22 | $51,460 | Annual | 4,010 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $51,460 | Annual | 4,010 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | $51,460 | Annual | 4,000 |
| Construction | 23 | $56,900 | Annual | 20,420 |
| Construction of Buildings | 236000 | $59,640 | Annual | 1,380 |
| Residential Building Construction | 236100 | $63,460 | Annual | 600 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction | 236200 | $58,730 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $48,460 | Annual | 3,430 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $48,460 | Annual | 3,280 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $58,240 | Annual | 15,610 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | $61,210 | Annual | 140 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $58,310 | Annual | 15,260 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $49,300 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Manufacturing | 31-33 | $78,580 | Annual | 40 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $67,940 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $67,940 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | $96,440 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Solar Site Foreman (47-1011)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Solar Photovoltaic Installers. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Lead Solar Installer in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Lead Solar Installer in National, the published median for SOC 47-2231, Solar Photovoltaic Installers, is $53,140 per year. The middle half of the Lead Solar Installer in National wage distribution runs from $46,700 to $62,870, a width of $16,170 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Lead Solar Installer comparison, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reports $70,130 per year while Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA reports $59,600 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Lead Solar Installer figure pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Solar Photovoltaic Installers, read alongside Lead Solar Installer in National, are Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services at $96,440 per year (NAICS 541600); Manufacturing at $78,580 per year (NAICS 31-33); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services at $67,940 per year (NAICS 54). Those Lead Solar Installer in National industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Lead Solar Installer in National median was $51,860 per year in May 2024, compared with $53,140 in May 2025, a published difference of $1,280. That Lead Solar Installer in National comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $51,860 and $53,140 Lead Solar Installer in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $53,140 per year for Lead Solar Installer in National, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Lead Solar Installer in National BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Lead Solar Installer in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Lead Solar Installer in National is broader: BLS groups Lead Solar Installer within Solar Photovoltaic Installers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. For a Lead Solar Installer in National opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Lead Solar Installer in National buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Lead Solar Installer in National buyer?
Lead Solar Installer in National has a published middle-half band of $46,700 to $62,870, a width of $16,170 per year, with median $53,140. An offer inside that Lead Solar Installer in National band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Lead Solar Installer in National?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Lead Solar Installer in National. Comparing those Solar Photovoltaic Installers tables with the $53,140 Lead Solar Installer in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Lead Solar Installer in National?
Lead Solar Installer in National uses national industry rows for SOC 47-2231, not local sector-specific wages. Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services leads the selected sortable rows at $96,440 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Lead Solar Installer in National.
What changed between the releases for Lead Solar Installer in National?
Lead Solar Installer in National moved from $51,860 in May 2024 to $53,140 in May 2025. These Lead Solar Installer in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 47-2231. Published annual median: $51,860 (May 2024) and $53,140 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.