Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in California

Median $29.14 an hour for 6,830 solar photovoltaic installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 2012.

$29.14/hrMedian hourly wageCalifornia, May data
$60,600/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.63 – $40.2710th to 90th percentilehourly range
6,830Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Solar installer pay in California: the full range

Wage percentiles, CaliforniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrCalifornia: 10th $22.63 · 25th $24.10 · median $29.14 · 75th $34.94 · 90th $40.27California$29.14$22.63$40.27United States: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45United States$25.55
Hourly wage percentiles for solar photovoltaic installers: California vs United States, May 2025.

California ranks 8th of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 12th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $26.32). 6,830 solar photovoltaic installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.63 – $24.10$47,070 – $50,140roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$24.10 – $34.94$50,140 – $72,660the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$34.94 – $40.27$72,660 – $83,770the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Solar installer pay by metro in California

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSan Francisco: $34.69San Francisco$34.69San Jose: $34.44San Jose$34.44Santa Cruz: $33.44Santa Cruz$33.44Salinas: $29.93Salinas$29.93Santa Rosa: $29.72Santa Rosa$29.72San Diego: $29.49San Diego$29.49San Luis Obispo: $29.34San Luis Obispo$29.34Riverside: $28.87Riverside$28.87Santa Maria: $28.83Santa Maria$28.83Modesto: $28.81Modesto$28.81Sacramento: $28.81Sacramento$28.81Oxnard: $28.68Oxnard$28.68
Median hourly wage for solar photovoltaic installers by metro area in California, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
San Francisco$26.46$34.69$46.6871019% above
San Jose$25.17$34.44$47.8028018% above
Santa Cruz$24.37$33.44$49.154015% above
Salinas$24.69$29.93$34.50—3% above
Santa Rosa$23.61$29.72$44.771002% above
San Diego$22.88$29.49$38.775501% above
San Luis Obispo$23.00$29.34$38.031001% above
Riverside$22.44$28.87$37.237901% below
Santa Maria$23.19$28.83$39.191001% below
Modesto$23.01$28.81$36.26501% below
Sacramento$20.89$28.81$38.727001% below
Oxnard$20.99$28.68$38.34—2% below
Los Angeles$22.63$28.65$41.031,9302% below
Stockton$22.83$28.42$38.561202% below
Fresno$21.44$27.99$36.932104% below
Bakersfield$20.29$27.40$37.643706% below

Solar installer wages in California over time

California, 2012-2025CaliforniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$30$35201520202025$29.14California$25.55United States
Median hourly wage for solar photovoltaic installers, California vs United States, 2012–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearCalifornia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2012$19.49$27.33$18.221,710
2013$19.37$26.77$19.041,510
2014$19.97$27.16$19.241,800
2015$19.91$27.04$18.192,670
2016$20.36$27.31$18.873,880
2017$19.97$26.23$18.983,900
2018$21.15$27.12$20.523,920
2019$22.40$28.21$21.584,970
2020$23.27$28.95$22.344,780
2021$23.12$27.47$22.926,300
2022$23.82$26.20$21.759,610
2023$25.57$27.02$23.467,610
2024$29.23$30.00$24.938,970
2025$29.14$29.14$25.556,830

In today's dollars, the median solar installer wage in California changed by +7.8% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in California

On federally funded construction in California, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 53 of the 58 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $80.15 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $23.46). 5 of the 58 counties still use a survey rate dated 1985 or earlier (for example Amador County at $20.17). The market median for the state is $29.14.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, CAAlameda: $111.42 (union)Alpine: $68.88 (union)Amador: $20.17 (survey)Butte: $68.88 (union)Calaveras: $111.42 (union)Colusa: $68.88 (union)Contra Costa: $111.42 (union)Del Norte: $23.46 (survey)El Dorado: $68.88 (union)Fresno: $111.42 (union)Glenn: $68.88 (union)Humboldt: $23.46 (survey)Imperial: $63.96 (union)Inyo: $82.22 (union)Kern: $82.22 (union)Kings: $111.42 (union)Lake: $23.46 (survey)Lassen: $68.88 (union)Los Angeles: $92.39 (union)Madera: $111.42 (union)Marin: $68.88 (union)Mariposa: $111.42 (union)Mendocino: $23.46 (survey)Merced: $111.42 (union)Modoc: $68.88 (union)Mono: $82.22 (union)Monterey: $111.42 (union)Napa: $68.88 (union)Nevada: $68.88 (union)Orange: $88.10 (union)Placer: $68.88 (union)Plumas: $68.88 (union)Riverside: $90.09 (union)Sacramento: $68.88 (union)San Benito: $111.42 (union)San Bernardino: $82.22 (union)San Diego: $85.39 (union)San Francisco: $111.42 (union)San Joaquin: $111.42 (union)San Luis Obispo: $79.92 (union)San Mateo: $111.42 (union)Santa Barbara: $79.77 (union)Santa Clara: $111.42 (union)Santa Cruz: $111.42 (union)Shasta: $68.88 (union)Sierra: $68.88 (union)Siskiyou: $68.88 (union)Solano: $68.88 (union)Sonoma: $68.88 (union)Stanislaus: $111.42 (union)Sutter: $68.88 (union)Tehama: $68.88 (union)Trinity: $68.88 (union)Tulare: $80.15 (union)Tuolumne: $111.42 (union)Ventura: $90.12 (union)Yolo: $68.88 (union)Yuba: $68.88 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$68.88$82.22survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for solar installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$0$25$50$75$100$125/hrFresno (Fresno): market median $27.99, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$83.43Fresno (Fresno)+$83.43San Joaquin (Stockton): market median $28.42, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$83.00San Joaquin (Stockton)+$83.00Stanislaus (Modesto): market median $28.81, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$82.61Stanislaus (Modesto)+$82.61Kings (California): market median $29.14, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$82.28Kings (California)+$82.28Monterey (Salinas): market median $29.93, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$81.49Monterey (Salinas)+$81.49Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz): market median $33.44, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$77.98Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz)+$77.98San Benito (San Jose): market median $34.44, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$76.98San Benito (San Jose)+$76.98Alameda (San Francisco): market median $34.69, prevailing (union) $111.42, gap +$76.73Alameda (San Francisco)+$76.73Los Angeles (Los Angeles): market median $28.65, prevailing (union) $92.39, gap +$63.74Los Angeles (Los Angeles)+$63.74Ventura (Oxnard): market median $28.68, prevailing (union) $90.12, gap +$61.44Ventura (Oxnard)+$61.44Riverside (Riverside): market median $28.87, prevailing (union) $90.09, gap +$61.22Riverside (Riverside)+$61.22San Diego (San Diego): market median $29.49, prevailing (union) $85.39, gap +$55.90San Diego (San Diego)+$55.90Kern (Bakersfield): market median $27.40, prevailing (union) $82.22, gap +$54.82Kern (Bakersfield)+$54.82Santa Barbara (Santa Maria): market median $28.83, prevailing (union) $79.77, gap +$50.94Santa Barbara (Santa Maria)+$50.94San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo): market median $29.34, prevailing (union) $79.92, gap +$50.58San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo)+$50.58El Dorado (Sacramento): market median $28.81, prevailing (union) $68.88, gap +$40.07El Dorado (Sacramento)+$40.07Sonoma (Santa Rosa): market median $29.72, prevailing (union) $68.88, gap +$39.16Sonoma (Santa Rosa)+$39.16
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for solar installers, metro counties in California.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlamedaUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
CalaverasUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
Contra CostaUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
FresnoUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
KingsUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
MaderaUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
MariposaUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
MercedUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
MontereyUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
San BenitoUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
San FranciscoUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
San JoaquinUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
San MateoUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
Santa ClaraUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018
Santa CruzUnion ELEC0234-001 2025-12-30$77.45$33.97$111.42CA20260018

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the California prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in California?

898.7kConstruction jobsCalifornia, 2026-08
-1.4%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k1,200k19901995200020052010201520202025899kAug 2026
Construction employment in California (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at electrical contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just solar installers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Santa Clara County10,214$185,881$3,575
San Francisco County3,490$142,706$2,744
San Mateo County1,730$125,364$2,411
Alameda County5,616$117,373$2,257
Contra Costa County2,692$112,739$2,168
San Joaquin County1,889$104,984$2,019
Yolo County481$102,314$1,968
Orange County13,450$99,444$1,912
San Bernardino County6,172$99,339$1,910
Napa County342$97,346$1,872
Sacramento County6,442$95,189$1,831
Sonoma County1,860$95,067$1,828

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in California

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in California?

The median solar installer in California earned $29.14 an hour ($60,600 a year) in May 2025, 14% above the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $24.10–$34.94; the top 10% earn more than $40.27.

Where does California rank for solar installer pay?

California ranks 8th of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $29.14 an hour, and 12th after adjusting for California's cost of living (BEA price parity 110.7, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in California?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 53 counties, with a typical package of $80.15 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in California?

BLS counted 6,830 solar photovoltaic installers in California in May 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.86; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California and metro areas, SOC 47-2231.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.