Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017
47-2231 Solar Photovoltaic Installers
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. Excludes solar thermal installers who are included in "Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters" (47-2152). Excludes solar PV electricians who are included in "Electricians" (47-2111).
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 9,000 |
10.6 % |
$20.68 |
$43,010 |
1.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$13.83 |
$16.20 |
$18.98 |
$23.85 |
$29.61 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$28,760 |
$33,700 |
$39,490 |
$49,610 |
$61,580 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
170 |
0.04 |
$23.36 |
$48,590 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) |
(8) |
(8) |
$22.87 |
$47,560 |
| Building Finishing Contractors |
(8) |
(8) |
$22.16 |
$46,090 |
| Employment Services |
80 |
(7) |
$21.55 |
$44,820 |
| Residential Building Construction |
(8) |
(8) |
$21.42 |
$44,550 |
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
3,900 |
0.23 |
3.70 |
$21.61 |
$44,950 |
| New York |
820 |
0.09 |
1.40 |
$19.92 |
$41,430 |
| New Jersey |
750 |
0.19 |
2.95 |
$20.97 |
$43,620 |
| Florida |
630 |
0.07 |
1.19 |
$16.23 |
$33,760 |
| North Carolina |
500 |
0.12 |
1.83 |
$16.66 |
$34,650 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Vermont |
370 |
1.21 |
19.09 |
$19.01 |
$39,540 |
| Hawaii |
190 |
0.30 |
4.68 |
$26.41 |
$54,930 |
| California |
3,900 |
0.23 |
3.70 |
$21.61 |
$44,950 |
| New Jersey |
750 |
0.19 |
2.95 |
$20.97 |
$43,620 |
| North Carolina |
500 |
0.12 |
1.83 |
$16.66 |
$34,650 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
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Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
620 |
0.09 |
1.46 |
$20.59 |
$42,820 |
| Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division |
540 |
0.47 |
7.52 |
$19.92 |
$41,440 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
230 |
0.16 |
2.55 |
$21.11 |
$43,910 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division |
190 |
0.10 |
1.61 |
$27.64 |
$57,490 |
| San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division |
120 |
1.07 |
17.02 |
$23.45 |
$48,770 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
90 |
0.19 |
2.98 |
$29.07 |
$60,470 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
80 |
0.42 |
6.60 |
$26.53 |
$55,180 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
70 |
0.06 |
0.99 |
$14.78 |
$30,730 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
40 |
0.04 |
0.63 |
$23.93 |
$49,780 |
| Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division |
30 |
0.10 |
1.51 |
$17.08 |
$35,520 |
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Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division |
120 |
1.07 |
17.02 |
$23.45 |
$48,770 |
| Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division |
540 |
0.47 |
7.52 |
$19.92 |
$41,440 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
80 |
0.42 |
6.60 |
$26.53 |
$55,180 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
90 |
0.19 |
2.98 |
$29.07 |
$60,470 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
230 |
0.16 |
2.55 |
$21.11 |
$43,910 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division |
190 |
0.10 |
1.61 |
$27.64 |
$57,490 |
| Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division |
30 |
0.10 |
1.51 |
$17.08 |
$35,520 |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
620 |
0.09 |
1.46 |
$20.59 |
$42,820 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
70 |
0.06 |
0.99 |
$14.78 |
$30,730 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
40 |
0.04 |
0.63 |
$23.93 |
$49,780 |
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Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
90 |
0.19 |
2.98 |
$29.07 |
$60,470 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division |
190 |
0.10 |
1.61 |
$27.64 |
$57,490 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
80 |
0.42 |
6.60 |
$26.53 |
$55,180 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$24.64 |
$51,250 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
40 |
0.04 |
0.63 |
$23.93 |
$49,780 |
| San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division |
120 |
1.07 |
17.02 |
$23.45 |
$48,770 |
| Fresno, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$22.76 |
$47,330 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$22.54 |
$46,880 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$22.28 |
$46,350 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
230 |
0.16 |
2.55 |
$21.11 |
$43,910 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:
About May 2017 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OES estimates and related information:
May 2017 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2017 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2017 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2017 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2017 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 30, 2018
