All careersSkilled trades

Solar Panel Installer

$53,140
median pay per year
$41,600 – $79,970
what most earn (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Assemble, install, and connect solar panels on roofs and in fields, then test the systems.

Where you work

Rooftops and open sites; outdoors in all weather, often at heights.

The hours

Usually full-time; outdoor work can be seasonal.

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$53,140
per year
What most earn
$41,600–$79,970
10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~4,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+42%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
31,350
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: Paid on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to assist; certification and an electrician's help with wiring.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Physical staminaMechanical skillsAttention to detailUnafraid of heights

The honest take

Second-fastest-growing job — learn on the roof.

Standard Occupational Classification 47-2231. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.