Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in Colorado

Median $23.91 an hour for 620 solar photovoltaic installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 2012.

$23.91/hrMedian hourly wageColorado, May data
$49,730/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.08 – $36.6210th to 90th percentilehourly range
620Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Solar installer pay in Colorado: the full range

Wage percentiles, ColoradoMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrColorado: 10th $22.08 · 25th $23.53 · median $23.91 · 75th $27.06 · 90th $36.62Colorado$23.91$22.08$36.62United 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: Colorado vs United States, May 2025.

Colorado ranks 20th of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 29th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $23.19). 620 solar photovoltaic installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.08 – $23.53$45,930 – $48,930roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$23.53 – $27.06$48,930 – $56,280the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$27.06 – $36.62$56,280 – $76,170the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Solar installer pay by metro in Colorado

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrDenver: $25.55Denver$25.55Grand Junction: $22.90Grand Junction$22.90
Median hourly wage for solar photovoltaic installers by metro area in Colorado, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Denver$22.08$25.55$38.842807% above
Grand Junction$20.34$22.90$24.04504% below

Solar installer wages in Colorado over time

Colorado, 2012-2025ColoradoUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30201520202025$25.55United States$23.91Colorado
Median hourly wage for solar photovoltaic installers, Colorado vs United States, 2012–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearColorado $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2012$15.67$21.97$18.22130
2013$18.77$25.94$19.04120
2014$19.47$26.48$19.24110
2015$21.42$29.10$18.19—
2016$22.79$30.57$18.87—
2017$18.93$24.86$18.98—
2018$21.35$27.37$20.52—
2019$22.25$28.02$21.58—
2020$23.76$29.56$22.34160
2021$20.20$24.00$22.92480
2022$22.81$25.09$21.75550
2023$23.86$25.21$23.46—
2024$24.88$25.53$24.93650
2025$23.91$23.91$25.55620

In today's dollars, the median solar installer wage in Colorado changed by -17.8% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in Colorado

On federally funded construction in Colorado, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 63 of the 64 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $59.17 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $35.14). 1 of the 64 counties still use a survey rate dated 2015 or earlier (for example Mesa County at $35.14). The market median for the state is $23.91.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, COAdams: $66.33 (union)Alamosa: $59.17 (union)Arapahoe: $66.33 (union)Archuleta: $59.17 (union)Baca: $59.17 (union)Bent: $59.17 (union)Boulder: $66.33 (union)Broomfield: $66.33 (union)Chaffee: $59.17 (union)Cheyenne: $59.17 (union)Clear Creek: $66.33 (union)Conejos: $59.17 (union)Costilla: $59.17 (union)Crowley: $59.17 (union)Custer: $59.17 (union)Delta: $59.17 (union)Denver: $66.33 (union)Dolores: $59.17 (union)Douglas: $66.33 (union)Eagle: $59.17 (union)Elbert: $66.33 (union)El Paso: $59.17 (union)Fremont: $59.17 (union)Garfield: $59.17 (union)Gilpin: $66.33 (union)Grand: $59.17 (union)Gunnison: $59.17 (union)Hinsdale: $59.17 (union)Huerfano: $59.17 (union)Jackson: $59.17 (union)Jefferson: $66.33 (union)Kiowa: $59.17 (union)Kit Carson: $59.17 (union)Lake: $59.17 (union)La Plata: $59.17 (union)Larimer: $66.33 (union)Las Animas: $59.17 (union)Lincoln: $59.17 (union)Logan: $59.17 (union)Mesa: $35.14 (survey)Mineral: $59.17 (union)Moffat: $59.17 (union)Montezuma: $59.17 (union)Montrose: $59.17 (union)Morgan: $59.17 (union)Otero: $59.17 (union)Ouray: $59.17 (union)Park: $66.33 (union)Phillips: $59.17 (union)Pitkin: $59.17 (union)Prowers: $59.17 (union)Pueblo: $51.46 (union)Rio Blanco: $59.17 (union)Rio Grande: $59.17 (union)Routt: $59.17 (union)Saguache: $59.17 (union)San Juan: $59.17 (union)San Miguel: $59.17 (union)Sedgwick: $59.17 (union)Summit: $59.17 (union)Teller: $59.17 (union)Washington: $59.17 (union)Weld: $66.33 (union)Yuma: $59.17 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$59.17$62.03survey 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)Prevailing (survey)$0$20$40$60$80/hrBoulder (Colorado): market median $23.91, prevailing (union) $66.33, gap +$42.42Boulder (Colorado)+$42.42Adams (Denver): market median $25.55, prevailing (union) $66.33, gap +$40.78Adams (Denver)+$40.78Mesa (Grand Junction): market median $22.90, prevailing (survey) $35.14, gap +$12.24Mesa (Grand Junction)+$12.24
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for solar installers, metro counties in Colorado.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260015
ArapahoeUnion ELEC0068-013 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260016
BoulderUnion ELEC0068-018 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260017
BroomfieldUnion ELEC0068-019 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260018
Clear CreekUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260019
DenverUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260020
DouglasUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260021
ElbertUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260030
GilpinUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260030
JeffersonUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260023
LarimerUnion ELEC0068-002 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260024
ParkUnion ELEC0068-012 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260026
WeldUnion ELEC0068-018 2025-06-01$46.80$19.53$66.33CO20260029
AlamosaUnion ELEC0113-003 2025-06-01$40.70$18.47$59.17CO20260001
ArchuletaUnion ELEC0113-003 2025-06-01$40.70$18.47$59.17CO20260001

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

Is construction work growing in Colorado?

191.1kConstruction jobsColorado, 2026-08
+1.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k50k100k150k200k250k19901995200020052010201520202025191kAug 2026
Construction employment in Colorado (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
Adams County4,112$96,420$1,854
Jefferson County4,071$91,336$1,756
Pitkin County99$90,516$1,741
Archuleta County42$86,192$1,658
Denver County2,623$85,679$1,648
Broomfield County238$85,533$1,645
Douglas County1,329$83,921$1,614
Arapahoe County3,946$82,641$1,589
Delta County262$76,731$1,476
Weld County1,611$75,617$1,454
Summit County146$74,825$1,439
Eagle County356$74,505$1,433

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Colorado

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in Colorado?

The median solar installer in Colorado earned $23.91 an hour ($49,730 a year) in May 2025, 6% below the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $23.53–$27.06; the top 10% earn more than $36.62.

Where does Colorado rank for solar installer pay?

Colorado ranks 20th of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $23.91 an hour, and 29th after adjusting for Colorado's cost of living (BEA price parity 103.1, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in Colorado?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 63 counties, with a typical package of $59.17 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in Colorado?

BLS counted 620 solar photovoltaic installers in Colorado in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.07; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Colorado 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.