Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in Illinois

Median $28.67 an hour for — solar installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 2022 and the state's own outlook.

$28.67/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$59,630/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$17.00 – $49.7410th to 90th percentilehourly range
—Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Solar installer pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIllinois: 10th $17.00 · 25th $23.03 · median $28.67 · 75th $34.04 · 90th $49.74Illinois$28.67$17.00$49.74United States: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45United States$25.55
Hourly wage percentiles for solar installers: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 9th of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 8th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $28.67). — solar installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.9× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$17.00 – $23.03$35,360 – $47,890roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$23.03 – $34.04$47,890 – $70,800the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$34.04 – $49.74$70,800 – $103,460the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Solar installer wages in Illinois over time

Illinois, 2022-2025IllinoisUnited StatesExact wages$15$20$25$302025$28.67Illinois$25.55United States
Median hourly wage for solar installers, Illinois vs United States, 2022–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIllinois $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2022$19.23$21.15$21.75250
2023$20.68$21.85$23.46240
2024$21.58$22.15$24.93200
2025$28.67$28.67$25.55—

Outlook for solar installers in Illinois

+169.5%Projected growth in Illinois2024–2034, state agency
60Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
200Jobs in 2024530 projected for 2034
+36.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Illinois's labor market agency projects the number of solar installers in the state to change by +169.5% between 2024 and 2034, from 200 to 530, with about 60 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +36.5% over 2025-35.

Source: Illinois labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 102 of the 102 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $83.99 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $28.67.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: $83.99 (union)Alexander: $71.70 (union)Bond: $83.99 (union)Boone: $83.99 (union)Brown: $83.99 (union)Bureau: $83.99 (union)Calhoun: $83.99 (union)Carroll: $83.99 (union)Cass: $83.99 (union)Champaign: $71.70 (union)Christian: $71.70 (union)Clark: $71.70 (union)Clay: $71.70 (union)Clinton: $83.99 (union)Coles: $71.70 (union)Cook: $100.64 (union)Crawford: $71.70 (union)Cumberland: $71.70 (union)DeKalb: $83.99 (union)De Witt: $71.70 (union)Douglas: $71.70 (union)DuPage: $103.64 (union)Edgar: $71.70 (union)Edwards: $71.70 (union)Effingham: $71.70 (union)Fayette: $71.70 (union)Ford: $71.70 (union)Franklin: $71.70 (union)Fulton: $83.99 (union)Gallatin: $71.70 (union)Greene: $83.99 (union)Grundy: $103.64 (union)Hamilton: $71.70 (union)Hancock: $83.99 (union)Hardin: $71.70 (union)Henderson: $83.99 (union)Henry: $83.99 (union)Iroquois: $71.70 (union)Jackson: $71.70 (union)Jasper: $71.70 (union)Jefferson: $71.70 (union)Jersey: $83.99 (union)Jo Daviess: $83.99 (union)Johnson: $71.70 (union)Kane: $103.64 (union)Kankakee: $96.60 (union)Kendall: $103.64 (union)Knox: $83.99 (union)Lake: $103.64 (union)LaSalle: $83.99 (union)Lawrence: $71.70 (union)Lee: $83.99 (union)Livingston: $83.99 (union)Logan: $83.99 (union)McDonough: $83.99 (union)McHenry: $103.64 (union)McLean: $83.99 (union)Macon: $72.16 (union)Macoupin: $83.99 (union)Madison: $82.68 (union)Marion: $71.70 (union)Marshall: $83.99 (union)Mason: $83.99 (union)Massac: $71.70 (union)Menard: $83.99 (union)Mercer: $83.99 (union)Monroe: $83.99 (union)Montgomery: $83.99 (union)Morgan: $83.99 (union)Moultrie: $71.70 (union)Ogle: $83.99 (union)Peoria: $63.74 (union)Perry: $71.70 (union)Piatt: $71.70 (union)Pike: $83.99 (union)Pope: $71.70 (union)Pulaski: $71.70 (union)Putnam: $83.99 (union)Randolph: $83.99 (union)Richland: $71.70 (union)Rock Island: $83.99 (union)St. Clair: $82.68 (union)Saline: $71.70 (union)Sangamon: $41.95 (union)Schuyler: $83.99 (union)Scott: $83.99 (union)Shelby: $71.70 (union)Stark: $83.99 (union)Stephenson: $83.99 (union)Tazewell: $63.74 (union)Union: $71.70 (union)Vermilion: $71.70 (union)Wabash: $71.70 (union)Warren: $83.99 (union)Washington: $83.99 (union)Wayne: $71.70 (union)White: $71.70 (union)Whiteside: $83.99 (union)Will: $103.64 (union)Williamson: $71.70 (union)Winnebago: $83.99 (union)Woodford: $83.99 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$71.70$83.99
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for solar installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
DuPageUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
GrundyUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
KaneUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
KendallUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
LakeUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
McHenryUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
WillUnion ELEC0150-002 2025-06-02$51.87$51.77$103.64IL20260008
CookUnion ELEC0134-001 2025-06-02$57.75$42.89$100.64IL20260009
KankakeeUnion ELEC0176-007 2023-06-01$51.60$45.00$96.60IL20260006
AdamsUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001
BondUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001
BooneUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001
BrownUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001
BureauUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001
CalhounUnion ELEC0649-001 2025-12-28$54.53$29.46$83.99IL20260001

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Illinois prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Illinois?

268.8kConstruction jobsIllinois, 2026-09
+6.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025269kSep 2026
Construction employment in Illinois (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. Across the 91 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 136,127 in 2015 to 152,071 in 2025, +11.7%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Stephenson County10154$158,671$3,051
LaSalle County24230$118,002$2,269
DuPage County3015,052$117,321$2,256
Cook County96910,944$107,246$2,062
Whiteside County5204$106,069$2,040
Madison County38872$105,704$2,033
St. Clair County32318$104,791$2,015
Henry County13416$101,599$1,954
Winnebago County38275$97,334$1,872
Will County1421,006$97,015$1,866
Saline County10144$96,135$1,849
Macon County13558$94,542$1,818

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

More on Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in Illinois?

The median solar installer in Illinois earned $28.67 an hour ($59,630 a year) in May 2025, 12% above the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $23.03–$34.04; the top 10% earn more than $49.74.

Where does Illinois rank for solar installer pay?

Illinois ranks 9th of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $28.67 an hour, and 8th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 102 counties, with a typical package of $83.99 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in Illinois?

BLS counted — solar installers in Illinois in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.00; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is solar installer work growing in Illinois?

Illinois's labor market agency projects +169.5% growth for solar installers between 2024 and 2034, from 200 to 530 jobs.

How many solar installer openings a year are there in Illinois?

Illinois projects about 60 openings a year for solar installers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 4,200 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Illinois and metro areas, SOC 47-2231. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Illinois labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.