Skilled Wages

Solar installer vs roofer: who earns more

Pay, range, growth and a state map of which trade earns more, from BLS May 2025 data.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Solar installer vs roofer: the numbers

Wage percentiles, Solar installerSolar installers, 10th-90th pctRoofers$10$20$30$40$50/hrSolar installer: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45Solar installer$25.55$20.00$38.45Roofer: 10th $18.01 · 25th $22.24 · median $26.65 · 75th $31.44 · 90th $39.29Roofer$26.65
Hourly wage percentiles for solar installers (blue) and roofers (grey), United States, May 2025. Thin track: 10th to 90th percentile; bar: 25th to 75th; dot: median.
Solar installerRoofer
Median hourly wage$25.55$26.65
Median annual pay$53,140$55,440
10th percentile (entry)$20.00$18.01
90th percentile (top)$38.45$39.29
Jobs nationwide31,350135,490
Projected growth 2025-35+36.5%+5.3%
Openings per year4,20012,000
10-year real wage change+3.4%+11.2%
States where this trade pays more1415
States about even (within $0.50)33

Which pays more where you live

Which pays more by state: solar installers or roofersAK: n/aAKAL: n/aALArkansas: Roofers +$1.27/hrARArizona: Solar installers +$1.84/hrAZCalifornia: Roofers +$1.44/hrCAColorado: Roofers +$0.97/hrCOConnecticut: Roofers +$3.11/hrDC: n/aDE: n/aFlorida: Solar installers +$1.42/hrFLGeorgia: About evenGAHawaii: Solar installers +$5.19/hrHIIowa: Solar installers +$3.89/hrIAID: n/aIDIllinois: Roofers +$8.78/hrILIndiana: Roofers +$5.70/hrINKansas: Solar installers +$1.35/hrKSKY: n/aKYLA: n/aLAMassachusetts: Roofers +$6.53/hrMaryland: Roofers +$7.05/hrMaine: Solar installers +$5.33/hrMEMichigan: Roofers +$5.99/hrMIMN: n/aMNMO: n/aMOMS: n/aMSMT: n/aMTNorth Carolina: Roofers +$2.47/hrNCND: n/aNDNE: n/aNENH: n/aNew Jersey: Solar installers +$1.13/hrNew Mexico: Solar installers +$1.53/hrNMNevada: Solar installers +$8.04/hrNVNew York: Roofers +$4.74/hrNYOhio: Solar installers +$6.26/hrOHOK: n/aOKOregon: Solar installers +$3.53/hrORPennsylvania: Roofers +$3.83/hrPARI: n/aSouth Carolina: Solar installers +$2.27/hrSCSouth Dakota: Roofers +$2.57/hrSDTN: n/aTNTexas: Solar installers +$1.06/hrTXUtah: Solar installers +$0.63/hrUTVirginia: About evenVAVermont: Roofers +$4.60/hrWashington: About evenWAWisconsin: Roofers +$4.61/hrWIWV: n/aWVWY: n/aWYSmall statesCT $3.11DC —DE —MA $6.53MD $7.05NH —NJ $1.13RI —VT $4.60Solar installers earn moreRoofers earn more$4.39$0.50$0.50$4.39about evenn/a
Which trade's median hourly wage is higher in each state, May 2025: blue where solar installers earn more, orange where roofers earn more, cream where the two are within $0.50. Hover or tap a state for the gap; hatched states have no BLS estimate for one of the two trades. Links go to the higher-paying trade's state page.
Median hourly wage by state for both trades, with the trade that pays more and the gap
StateSolar installer $/hrRoofer $/hrPays more, by how much
Illinois$28.67$37.45Roofer +$8.78
Nevada$32.60$24.56Solar installer +$8.04
Maryland$21.84$28.89Roofer +$7.05
Massachusetts$28.45$34.98Roofer +$6.53
Ohio$30.00$23.74Solar installer +$6.26
Michigan$22.63$28.62Roofer +$5.99
Indiana$22.18$27.88Roofer +$5.70
Maine$29.43$24.10Solar installer +$5.33
Hawaii$33.83$28.64Solar installer +$5.19
New York$27.00$31.74Roofer +$4.74
Wisconsin$23.93$28.54Roofer +$4.61
Vermont$23.79$28.39Roofer +$4.60
Iowa$27.28$23.39Solar installer +$3.89
Pennsylvania$22.96$26.79Roofer +$3.83
Oregon$31.88$28.35Solar installer +$3.53

Questions this page answers

Who makes more, solar installers or roofers?

Nationally, Roofers: a median of $26.65 an hour against $25.55 for solar installers, a gap of $1.10 an hour in May 2025. Solar photovoltaic installers earn more in 14 states, roofers in 15, and the two are within $0.50 an hour in 3 in the 32 states where BLS publishes both.

Which has the better outlook, solar installers or roofers?

BLS projects +36.5% growth for solar installers and +5.3% for roofers over 2025-35, with 4,200 and 12,000 openings a year respectively.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections; CPI-U.