Skilled Wages

Wind turbine technician vs solar installer: 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

Wind turbine technician vs solar installer: the numbers

Wage percentiles, Wind turbine technicianWind turbine technicians, 10th-90th pctSolar installers$10$20$30$40$50/hrWind turbine technician: 10th $23.67 · 25th $28.29 · median $30.83 · 75th $37.51 · 90th $44.45Wind turbine technician$30.83$23.67$44.45Solar installer: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45Solar installer$25.55
Hourly wage percentiles for wind turbine technicians (blue) and solar installers (grey), United States, May 2025. Thin track: 10th to 90th percentile; bar: 25th to 75th; dot: median.
Wind turbine technicianSolar installer
Median hourly wage$30.83$25.55
Median annual pay$64,120$53,140
10th percentile (entry)$23.67$20.00
90th percentile (top)$44.45$38.45
Jobs nationwide9,98031,350
Projected growth 2025-35+29.5%+36.5%
Openings per year1,5004,200
10-year real wage change-7.5%+3.4%
States where this trade pays more152
States about even (within $0.50)00

Which pays more where you live

Which pays more by state: wind turbine technicians or solar installersAK: n/aAKAL: n/aALAR: n/aARArizona: Wind turbine technicians +$7.29/hrAZCalifornia: Wind turbine technicians +$8.32/hrCAColorado: Wind turbine technicians +$12.03/hrCOCT: n/aDC: n/aDE: n/aFL: n/aFLGA: n/aGAHI: n/aHIIowa: Wind turbine technicians +$8.72/hrIAID: n/aIDIL: n/aILIndiana: Wind turbine technicians +$14.69/hrINKansas: Wind turbine technicians +$13.58/hrKSKY: n/aKYLA: n/aLAMA: n/aMD: n/aMaine: Solar installers +$0.96/hrMEMichigan: Wind turbine technicians +$7.56/hrMIMN: n/aMNMO: n/aMOMS: n/aMSMT: n/aMTNorth Carolina: Wind turbine technicians +$10.82/hrNCND: n/aNDNE: n/aNENH: n/aNJ: n/aNew Mexico: Wind turbine technicians +$4.20/hrNMNV: n/aNVNew York: Wind turbine technicians +$12.10/hrNYOhio: Wind turbine technicians +$5.52/hrOHOK: n/aOKOregon: Solar installers +$2.16/hrORPennsylvania: Wind turbine technicians +$6.29/hrPARI: n/aSC: n/aSCSouth Dakota: Wind turbine technicians +$15.12/hrSDTN: n/aTNTexas: Wind turbine technicians +$6.60/hrTXUT: n/aUTVA: n/aVAVT: n/aWashington: Wind turbine technicians +$6.85/hrWAWI: n/aWIWV: n/aWVWY: n/aWYSmall statesCT —DC —DE —MA —MD —NH —NJ —RI —VT —Wind turbine technicians earn moreSolar installers earn more$7.56$0.50$0.50$7.56about evenn/a
Which trade's median hourly wage is higher in each state, May 2025: blue where wind turbine technicians earn more, orange where solar installers 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
StateWind turbine technician $/hrSolar installer $/hrPays more, by how much
South Dakota$35.49$20.37Wind turbine technician +$15.12
Indiana$36.87$22.18Wind turbine technician +$14.69
Kansas$37.62$24.04Wind turbine technician +$13.58
New York$39.10$27.00Wind turbine technician +$12.10
Colorado$35.94$23.91Wind turbine technician +$12.03
North Carolina$31.91$21.09Wind turbine technician +$10.82
Iowa$36.00$27.28Wind turbine technician +$8.72
California$37.46$29.14Wind turbine technician +$8.32
Michigan$30.19$22.63Wind turbine technician +$7.56
Arizona$31.89$24.60Wind turbine technician +$7.29
Washington$36.48$29.63Wind turbine technician +$6.85
Texas$29.79$23.19Wind turbine technician +$6.60
Pennsylvania$29.25$22.96Wind turbine technician +$6.29
Ohio$35.52$30.00Wind turbine technician +$5.52
New Mexico$27.51$23.31Wind turbine technician +$4.20

Questions this page answers

Who makes more, wind turbine technicians or solar installers?

Nationally, Wind turbine technicians: a median of $30.83 an hour against $25.55 for solar installers, a gap of $5.28 an hour in May 2025. Wind turbine service technicians earn more in 15 states, solar installers in 2, and the two are within $0.50 an hour in 0 in the 17 states where BLS publishes both.

Which has the better outlook, wind turbine technicians or solar installers?

BLS projects +29.5% growth for wind turbine technicians and +36.5% for solar installers over 2025-35, with 1,500 and 4,200 openings a year respectively.

Sources and notes

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