- The middle half earn between $29.03 and $42.00 an hour.
- Only 3 states pay solar installers more at the median.
- Oregon pays more than 2 of its 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 360 solar installers on payrolls in Oregon.
- At the state median wage, a solar installation company needs to bill about $126.58 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Solar Installer pay in Oregon, bottom to top
BLS calls this group solar photovoltaic installers: the crews who mount, wire and set up solar panels on roofs and on the ground.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $26.02 | $54,110 | $20.00 |
| 25th percentile | $29.03 | $60,380 | $22.45 |
| Median | $31.88 | $66,320 | $25.55 |
| 75th percentile | $42.00 | $87,370 | $30.23 |
| 90th percentile | $42.00 | $87,370 | $38.45 |
| Average (mean) | $34.32 | $71,390 | $27.84 |
Pay is bunched up in Oregon. The top tenth earn $42.00 an hour or more, about 1.6 times the $26.02 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 1.9 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $26.02 against $20.00 at the bottom tenth, and $42.00 against $38.45 at the top.
The average wage, $34.32, sits 8% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical solar installer makes.
How Oregon compares with other states
Over a full year, the Oregon median of $66,320 is $13,180 more than the national $53,140.
In the state ranking, Oregon sits 4th, between Nevada ($32.60) and Ohio ($30.00). The range runs from $20.37 in South Dakota to $37.96 in New Jersey.
Against its neighboring states, Oregon is in the middle: Nevada pays more, and California and Washington pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Oregon. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $31.88 | $66,320 | |
| California | $29.14 | $60,600 | −$2.74 an hour |
| Nevada | $32.60 | $67,810 | +$0.72 an hour |
| Washington | $29.63 | $61,630 | −$2.25 an hour |
How many solar installers work in Oregon
About 360 solar installers work on payrolls in Oregon, 1.1% of the 31,350 nationwide, the 15th largest count among the states.
That is 0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in Oregon, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a solar installation company in Oregon should charge
Higher wages in Oregon go straight into the price. Take a solar installation company in Oregon paying the state median of $31.88 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $31.88 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $71,383 |
| Break-even rate | ($71,383 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $107.59 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $107.59 ÷ 0.85 | $126.58 |
That is $126.58 per billable hour, 4 times the wage, and $11.12 more than the $115.46 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $42.00 in Oregon, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $144.35.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $29.03, the rate only drops to $121.57.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2231, solar photovoltaic installers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: solar installer salary by state.