Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in Iowa

Median $27.28 an hour for 180 solar photovoltaic installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 2017.

$27.28/hrMedian hourly wageIowa, May data
$56,740/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.92 – $34.8310th to 90th percentilehourly range
180Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Solar installer pay in Iowa: the full range

Wage percentiles, IowaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrIowa: 10th $19.92 · 25th $25.37 · median $27.28 · 75th $29.16 · 90th $34.83Iowa$27.28$19.92$34.83United 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: Iowa vs United States, May 2025.

Iowa ranks 11th of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 4th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $31.07). 180 solar photovoltaic installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$19.92 – $25.37$41,430 – $52,760roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$25.37 – $29.16$52,760 – $60,650the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$29.16 – $34.83$60,650 – $72,450the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Solar installer wages in Iowa over time

Iowa, 2017-2025IowaUnited StatesSOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$302025$27.28Iowa$25.55United States
Median hourly wage for solar photovoltaic installers, Iowa vs United States, 2017–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIowa $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2017$17.11$22.47$18.98—
2018$17.77$22.78$20.52100
2019$18.53$23.33$21.58—
2022$19.33$21.26$21.75140
2023$19.47$20.57$23.46160
2025$27.28$27.28$25.55180

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in Iowa

On federally funded construction in Iowa, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 17 of the 99 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $66.39 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $32.80). 82 of the 99 counties still use a survey rate dated 2016 or earlier (for example Adair County at $34.51). The market median for the state is $27.28.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, IAAdair: $34.51 (survey)Adams: $34.51 (survey)Allamakee: $34.78 (survey)Appanoose: $32.86 (survey)Audubon: $34.51 (survey)Benton: $39.55 (survey)Black Hawk: $50.98 (union)Boone: $34.51 (survey)Bremer: $50.98 (union)Buchanan: $34.78 (survey)Buena Vista: $28.38 (survey)Butler: $34.78 (survey)Calhoun: $28.38 (survey)Carroll: $34.51 (survey)Cass: $34.51 (survey)Cedar: $32.86 (survey)Cerro Gordo: $34.78 (survey)Cherokee: $28.38 (survey)Chickasaw: $34.78 (survey)Clarke: $34.51 (survey)Clay: $28.38 (survey)Clayton: $34.78 (survey)Clinton: $74.56 (union)Crawford: $34.51 (survey)Dallas: $66.39 (union)Davis: $32.73 (survey)Decatur: $34.51 (survey)Delaware: $34.78 (survey)Des Moines: $32.43 (survey)Dickinson: $28.38 (survey)Dubuque: $63.00 (union)Emmet: $28.38 (survey)Fayette: $34.78 (survey)Floyd: $34.78 (survey)Franklin: $34.78 (survey)Fremont: $34.51 (survey)Greene: $34.51 (survey)Grundy: $50.98 (union)Guthrie: $66.39 (union)Hamilton: $28.38 (survey)Hancock: $28.38 (survey)Hardin: $34.78 (survey)Harrison: $67.29 (union)Henry: $32.73 (survey)Howard: $34.78 (survey)Humboldt: $28.38 (survey)Ida: $28.38 (survey)Iowa: $32.73 (survey)Jackson: $32.73 (survey)Jasper: $32.73 (survey)Jefferson: $32.73 (survey)Johnson: $35.93 (survey)Jones: $39.55 (survey)Keokuk: $32.73 (survey)Kossuth: $28.38 (survey)Lee: $32.73 (survey)Linn: $39.28 (survey)Louisa: $32.73 (survey)Lucas: $34.51 (survey)Lyon: $28.38 (survey)Madison: $66.39 (union)Mahaska: $32.73 (survey)Marion: $32.73 (survey)Marshall: $32.67 (survey)Mills: $67.29 (union)Mitchell: $34.78 (survey)Monona: $34.51 (survey)Monroe: $32.73 (survey)Montgomery: $34.51 (survey)Muscatine: $74.56 (union)O'Brien: $28.38 (survey)Osceola: $28.38 (survey)Page: $67.29 (union)Palo Alto: $28.38 (survey)Plymouth: $28.38 (survey)Pocahontas: $28.38 (survey)Polk: $66.39 (union)Pottawattamie: $67.29 (union)Poweshiek: $32.73 (survey)Ringgold: $34.51 (survey)Sac: $28.38 (survey)Scott: $74.56 (union)Shelby: $34.51 (survey)Sioux: $28.38 (survey)Story: $28.10 (survey)Tama: $32.73 (survey)Taylor: $34.51 (survey)Union: $34.51 (survey)Van Buren: $32.73 (survey)Wapello: $32.73 (survey)Warren: $66.39 (union)Washington: $34.20 (survey)Wayne: $34.51 (survey)Webster: $28.38 (survey)Winnebago: $28.38 (survey)Winneshiek: $34.78 (survey)Woodbury: $57.63 (union)Worth: $34.78 (survey)Wright: $28.38 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$28.38$32.73$34.51$37.27survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for solar installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ClintonUnion ELEC0145-008 2025-06-02$46.00$28.56$74.56IA20260038
MuscatineUnion ELEC0145-008 2025-06-02$46.00$28.56$74.56IA20260050
ScottUnion ELEC0145-009 2025-06-02$46.00$28.56$74.56IA20260073
HarrisonUnion ELEC0022-004 2025-06-01$46.40$20.89$67.29IA20260067
MillsUnion ELEC0022-004 2025-06-01$46.40$20.89$67.29IA20260070
PageUnion ELEC0022-009 2025-12-01$46.40$20.89$67.29IA20260051
PottawattamieUnion ELEC0022-004 2025-06-01$46.40$20.89$67.29IA20260072
DallasUnion ELEC0347-001 2025-06-01$45.45$20.94$66.39IA20260064
GuthrieUnion ELEC0347-002 2025-06-01$45.45$20.94$66.39IA20260079
MadisonUnion ELEC0347-002 2025-06-01$45.45$20.94$66.39IA20260079
PolkUnion ELEC0347-002 2025-06-01$45.45$20.94$66.39IA20260071
WarrenUnion ELEC0347-002 2025-06-01$45.45$20.94$66.39IA20260075
DubuqueUnion ELEC0704-001 2025-06-01$42.45$20.55$63.00IA20260065
WoodburyUnion ELEC0231-010 2025-06-05$40.68$16.95$57.63IA20260077
Black HawkUnion ELEC0288-002 2024-06-03$35.39$15.59$50.98IA20260062

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

Is construction work growing in Iowa?

93.8kConstruction jobsIowa, 2026-08
+3.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kAug 2026
Construction employment in Iowa (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
Jefferson County64$108,157$2,080
Scott County1,782$105,367$2,026
Sioux County1,021$103,191$1,984
Polk County3,535$88,714$1,706
Fayette County19$83,119$1,598
Pottawattamie County587$82,587$1,588
Linn County1,429$81,605$1,569
Marion County134$80,854$1,555
Woodbury County556$78,443$1,509
Webster County219$73,028$1,404
Black Hawk County296$71,585$1,377
Winneshiek County163$70,932$1,364

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Iowa

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in Iowa?

The median solar installer in Iowa earned $27.28 an hour ($56,740 a year) in May 2025, 7% above the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $25.37–$29.16; the top 10% earn more than $34.83.

Where does Iowa rank for solar installer pay?

Iowa ranks 11th of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $27.28 an hour, and 4th after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in Iowa?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 17 counties, with a typical package of $66.39 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in Iowa?

BLS counted 180 solar photovoltaic installers in Iowa in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.58; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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