How much do solar installers make in New York in 2026?

The median solar installer in New York earns $56,160 per year, which works out to roughly $27.00 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That sits comfortably above the national median for this trade and reflects New York's strong push toward residential and commercial solar buildout across the state.

Pay spreads fairly tightly across the middle of the distribution. Workers at the 25th percentile — typically those earlier in their careers or newer to the trade — earn about $49,290 a year, or approximately $23.70 an hour. Workers at the 75th percentile pull in $58,700, which comes to around $28.22 an hour. That's a difference of roughly $9,400 between the bottom quarter and the top quarter, a narrower gap than you'd see in many other trades. It signals that experience and tenure move the needle, but the ceiling climbs more steeply once you get into crew lead, project supervisor, or systems commissioning roles — positions the BLS wage data may not fully separate out.

These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. BLS collects data from employer payroll records, so the numbers reflect base wages paid on the clock. What they don't capture: overtime premiums, per diem travel pay, performance bonuses, or the value of benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions. Solar installers who work for larger commercial contractors or utility-scale developers often see total compensation that runs meaningfully higher than the base wage figures alone suggest.

Seasonality matters in New York more than in states with mild winters. Residential installation volume drops in January and February across upstate regions, and some installers working for smaller outfits face reduced hours or temporary layoffs during the slowest weeks. Contractors serving commercial and industrial customers tend to offer steadier year-round hours because large projects don't pause for weather the same way rooftop residential work does. Locking in a position on a commercial crew — or one that covers both installation and servicing/maintenance — is one of the more reliable ways to keep hours high through the winter.

Geography within New York moves wages noticeably. New York City and the surrounding metro area, including Long Island, carry higher pay in large part because of prevailing wage requirements on publicly funded projects and the higher cost of doing business in the region. Installers working in the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, or Western New York markets can expect wages closer to the statewide median or slightly below, though the cost of living is also lower in those areas.

Some solar installers in New York work under collective bargaining agreements. If you're on a union job, your pay scale and benefit contributions are set by your local's agreement — check that document directly for your actual rate, because the BLS figures blend union and non-union workers together and don't break out union pay separately.

Raising your pay in this trade tends to follow a clear path. Earning an NABCEP PV Installation Professional credential is the most widely recognized step up — it signals to employers you can handle system design review, code compliance, and quality control, not just panel placement. Picking up electrical knowledge, whether through a formal apprenticeship or on-the-job training toward a limited or journeyman electrician license in New York, can qualify you for higher-paying hybrid electrician/installer roles that are increasingly common as systems get more complex. Adding battery storage installation skills (particularly for systems using common platforms like Tesla Powerwall or Enphase) is another differentiator that contractors actively pay extra for right now.

New York's state incentive programs — including NY-Sun and the federal Investment Tax Credit — have kept the project pipeline healthy and hiring relatively steady compared to states where incentive changes have caused boom-bust hiring cycles. That stability is worth factoring in when weighing this trade against others.