- The middle half earn between $22.96 and $28.50 an hour.
- South Carolina ranks 16th of the 32 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- South Carolina pays more than both neighboring states.
- At the state median wage, a solar installation company needs to bill about $113.21 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Solar Installer pay in South Carolina, 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 | $19.49 | $40,540 | $20.00 |
| 25th percentile | $22.96 | $47,760 | $22.45 |
| Median | $24.27 | $50,490 | $25.55 |
| 75th percentile | $28.50 | $59,270 | $30.23 |
| 90th percentile | $37.58 | $78,170 | $38.45 |
| Average (mean) | $26.43 | $54,980 | $27.84 |
From the bottom tenth ($19.49) to the top tenth ($37.58), the top of the scale pays about 1.9 times the bottom in South Carolina, close to the 1.9 times spread for solar installers nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $0.51 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $0.87 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage, $26.43, sits 9% 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 South Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year, the South Carolina median of $50,490 is $2,650 less than the national $53,140.
In the state ranking, South Carolina sits 16th, between Florida ($24.30) and Kansas ($24.04). The range runs from $20.37 in South Dakota to $37.96 in New Jersey.
South Carolina pays solar installers more than any of its neighboring states, Georgia and North Carolina. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $24.27 | $50,490 | |
| Georgia | $22.98 | $47,790 | −$1.29 an hour |
| North Carolina | $21.09 | $43,860 | −$3.18 an hour |
How many solar installers work in South Carolina
BLS did not publish a count of solar installers employed in South Carolina for May 2025. That happens when the survey sample is too thin to estimate the number with confidence. The wage figures above were published and are used as they are.
What a solar installation company in South Carolina should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a solar installation company in South Carolina paying the state median of $24.27, on the labor rate calculator's 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 | $24.27 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $54,343 |
| Break-even rate | ($54,343 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $96.23 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $96.23 ÷ 0.85 | $113.21 |
That is $113.21 per billable hour, 4.7 times the wage, and $2.25 less than the $115.46 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $28.50 in South Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $120.64.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $22.96, the rate only drops to $110.91.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
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.