Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in Pennsylvania

Median $22.96 an hour for 1,210 solar installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 2012 and the state's own outlook.

$22.96/hrMedian hourly wagePennsylvania, May data
$47,760/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.68 – $29.4510th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,210Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Solar installer pay in Pennsylvania: the full range

Wage percentiles, PennsylvaniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrPennsylvania: 10th $19.68 · 25th $21.94 · median $22.96 · 75th $25.45 · 90th $29.45Pennsylvania$22.96$19.68$29.45United 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: Pennsylvania vs United States, May 2025.

Pennsylvania ranks 26th of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 25th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $23.52). 1,210 solar installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.5× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$19.68 – $21.94$40,940 – $45,630roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$21.94 – $25.45$45,630 – $52,940the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$25.45 – $29.45$52,940 – $61,250the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Solar installer pay by metro in Pennsylvania

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrPhiladelphia: $28.05Philadelphia$28.05Lancaster: $24.01Lancaster$24.01
Median hourly wage for solar installers by metro area in Pennsylvania, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Philadelphia$24.21$28.05$27.34$42.6058022% above
Lancaster$21.99$24.01$24.43$38.51905% above

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Solar installer wages in Pennsylvania over time

Pennsylvania, 2012-2025PennsylvaniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$302025$25.55United States$22.96Pennsylvania
Median hourly wage for solar installers, Pennsylvania vs United States, 2012–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearPennsylvania $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2012$16.50$23.14$18.22—
2013$16.91$23.37$19.04—
2014$17.00$23.12$19.24—
2023$24.60$25.99$23.46440
2024$23.56$24.18$24.93650
2025$22.96$22.96$25.551,210

Are there more solar installer jobs in Pennsylvania?

0.2Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.0× the US share, 12th of 24 states

BLS counted 1,210 solar installers in Pennsylvania in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 26%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for solar installers in Pennsylvania

+26.7%Projected growth in Pennsylvania2024–2034, state agency
50Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
440Jobs in 2024560 projected for 2034
+36.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Pennsylvania's labor market agency projects the number of solar installers in the state to change by +26.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 440 to 560, with about 50 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +36.5% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 1,210 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in Pennsylvania

On federally funded construction in Pennsylvania, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 58 of the 62 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $82.64 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $45.08). 4 of the 62 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Juniata County at $44.44). The market median for the state is $22.96.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, PAAdams: $64.24 (union)Allegheny: $85.90 (union)Armstrong: $85.90 (union)Beaver: $81.22 (union)Bedford: $82.64 (union)Berks: $74.00 (union)Blair: $82.64 (union)Bradford: $71.26 (union)Bucks: $110.18 (union)Butler: $85.90 (union)Cambria: $85.90 (union)Cameron: $82.64 (union)Carbon: $75.93 (union)Centre: $82.64 (union)Chester: $110.18 (union)Clarion: $85.90 (union)Clearfield: $82.64 (union)Clinton: $82.64 (union)Columbia: n/aCrawford: $81.22 (union)Cumberland: $67.42 (union)Dauphin: $67.42 (union)Delaware: $92.68 (union)Elk: $82.64 (union)Erie: $69.81 (union)Fayette: $85.90 (union)Forest: $85.90 (union)Franklin: $67.42 (union)Fulton: $82.64 (union)Greene: $85.90 (union)Huntingdon: $82.64 (union)Indiana: $85.90 (union)Jefferson: $82.64 (union)Juniata: $44.44 (survey)Lackawanna: $71.26 (union)Lancaster: $74.00 (union)Lawrence: $81.22 (union)Lebanon: $67.42 (union)Lehigh: $75.93 (union)Luzerne: $70.43 (union)Lycoming: n/aMcKean: $82.64 (union)Mercer: $81.22 (union)Mifflin: $40.48 (survey)Monroe: $107.63 (union)Montgomery: $110.18 (union)Montour: n/aNorthampton: $75.93 (union)Northumberland: $72.06 (union)Perry: $67.42 (union)Philadelphia: $122.07 (union)Pike: $107.63 (union)Potter: $68.02 (union)Schuylkill: $46.10 (survey)Snyder: $72.06 (union)Somerset: $82.64 (union)Sullivan: $71.26 (union)Susquehanna: $71.26 (union)Tioga: $66.98 (union)Union: $45.71 (survey)Venango: $85.90 (union)Warren: $85.90 (union)Washington: n/aWayne: $71.26 (union)Westmoreland: n/aWyoming: $71.26 (union)York: $64.24 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$68.38$74.77$82.64$85.90n/asurvey 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$50$100$150/hrPhiladelphia (Philadelphia): market median $28.05, prevailing (union) $122.07, gap +$94.02Philadelphia (Philadelphia)+$94.02Allegheny (Pennsylvania): market median $22.96, prevailing (union) $85.90, gap +$62.94Allegheny (Pennsylvania)+$62.94Lancaster (Lancaster): market median $24.01, prevailing (union) $74.00, gap +$49.99Lancaster (Lancaster)+$49.99
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for solar installers, metro counties in Pennsylvania.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
PhiladelphiaUnion ELEC0098-003 2026-05-04$75.05$47.02$122.07PA20260003
BucksUnion ELEC0098-007 2026-05-04$62.41$47.77$110.18PA20260078
ChesterUnion ELEC0098-011 2026-05-04$62.41$47.77$110.18PA20260083
MontgomeryUnion ELEC0098-010 2026-05-04$62.41$47.77$110.18PA20260099
MonroeUnion ELEC0102-013 2025-06-02$65.43$42.20$107.63PA20260098
PikeUnion ELEC0102-013 2025-06-02$65.43$42.20$107.63PA20260103
DelawareUnion ELEC0654-005 2025-06-02$52.71$39.97$92.68PA20260087
AlleghenyUnion ELEC0005-007 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260001
ArmstrongUnion ELEC0005-016 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260074
ButlerUnion ELEC0005-016 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260079
CambriaUnion ELEC0005-014 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260080
ClarionUnion ELEC0005-015 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260046
FayetteUnion ELEC0005-016 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260089
ForestUnion ELEC0005-015 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260051
GreeneUnion ELEC0005-015 2025-12-26$49.11$36.79$85.90PA20260053

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

Is construction work growing in Pennsylvania?

272.0kConstruction jobsPennsylvania, 2026-09
-0.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025272kSep 2026
Construction employment in Pennsylvania (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 64 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 139,301 in 2015 to 159,871 in 2025, +14.8%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Montgomery County2883,433$109,211$2,100
Lawrence County18398$107,079$2,059
Chester County1331,616$106,501$2,048
Philadelphia County1381,163$104,291$2,006
York County991,474$103,819$1,997
Delaware County1661,848$100,733$1,937
Allegheny County2733,747$97,633$1,878
Dauphin County40950$95,318$1,833
Bucks County2672,259$93,176$1,792
Berks County861,087$88,527$1,702
Lancaster County1562,093$86,566$1,665
Butler County51495$85,601$1,646

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Pennsylvania

More on Pennsylvania

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in Pennsylvania?

The median solar installer in Pennsylvania earned $22.96 an hour ($47,760 a year) in May 2025, 10% below the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $21.94–$25.45; the top 10% earn more than $29.45.

Where does Pennsylvania rank for solar installer pay?

Pennsylvania ranks 26th of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $22.96 an hour, and 25th after adjusting for Pennsylvania's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.6, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in Pennsylvania?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 58 counties, with a typical package of $82.64 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in Pennsylvania?

BLS counted 1,210 solar installers in Pennsylvania in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.99; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is solar installer work growing in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's labor market agency projects +26.7% growth for solar installers between 2024 and 2034, from 440 to 560 jobs.

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

Pennsylvania projects about 50 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, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.