LED & Solar recruiters serving Allentown-Bethlehem.
BLS counts 54 business locations of nonresidential electrical contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Allentown-Bethlehem.
BLS counts about 1,280 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Allentown-Bethlehem metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,100). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Allentown-Bethlehem: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Allentown-Bethlehem: 1,100 employed · $66,500 median, 43rd-highest of 112 metros
Solar Electrician
Solar Project Manager
O*NET 47-1011.03 - Solar Energy Installation Managers, a Bright Outlook occupation; wage data rolls up to the parent 47-1011 group
Solar Estimator/Designer
Allentown-Bethlehem: 540 employed · $76,810 median, 68th-highest of 111 metros
Energy Auditor/Efficiency Consultant
O*NET 47-4011.01 - Energy Auditors; building energy assessments that often lead into LED retrofit and solar scoping
Solar O&M Technician
Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)
Allentown-Bethlehem: 1,280 employed · $82,490 median, 34th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Allentown-Bethlehem: 180 employed · $56,550 median, 101st-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Allentown-Bethlehem.
BLS publishes no Allentown-Bethlehem pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Allentown-Bethlehem earn a median $66,500, 5% over the $63,190 national figure, and 43rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $48,290 at the tenth percentile to $122,400 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $56,550 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Allentown-Bethlehem pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Allentown-Bethlehem median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar PV Installer · NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician · Energy Auditor/Efficiency Consultant O*NET 47-4011.01 - Energy Auditors; building energy assessments that often lead into LED retrofit and solar scoping Solar O&M TechnicianSolar Photovoltaic Installers (47-2231) | – | – | $53,140 | – | – |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $66,500 | $48,290–$122,400 | $63,190 | +5% | 1,100 |
| Solar Project Manager O*NET 47-1011.03 - Solar Energy Installation Managers, a Bright Outlook occupation; wage data rolls up to the parent 47-1011 group Solar Estimator/DesignerCost Estimators (13-1051) | $76,810 | $51,210–$126,660 | $78,740 | −2% | 540 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,490 | $59,740–$139,340 | $79,920 | +3% | 1,280 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $56,550 | $41,050–$83,110 | $74,090 | −24% | 180 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Allentown-Bethlehem metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Allentown-Bethlehem's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Allentown-Bethlehem lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 60 business locations to 54 (down 10%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Allentown-Bethlehem, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 60 | 54 | −10% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free LED & Solar hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to LED & Solar · 2026 LED & Solar Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for LED & Solar
How Allentown-Bethlehem's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 580 | $58,350 | 0.98 | 595 |
| Lancaster | 90 | $49,950 | 1.83 | 61 |
| Pittsburgh | – | – | – | 245 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | – | – | – | 54 |
| Harrisburg | – | – | – | 47 |
| Scranton | – | – | – | 58 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Allentown-Bethlehem metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania does not license electricians or electrical contractors at state level. The Department of Labor and Industry states that the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors or their employees, and that individual municipalities set their own electrical and plumbing licensing rules. The only statewide registration is Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Office of Attorney General, a consumer protection registration for residential work rather than a trade competency license, and there is no separate state solar contractor license. For commercial solar and lighting retrofit work, verify the Philadelphia electrical contractor license, the Pittsburgh electrical trade license, and then the requirements of whichever municipality the job sits in. The same state rules apply in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Allentown-Bethlehem without re-qualifying. The Allentown-Bethlehem metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Licensed at municipal level: Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections, Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Allentown-Bethlehem talent.
The closest metro we cover is Philadelphia, about 50 miles away, with roughly 580 solar photovoltaic installers. BLS does not publish Allentown-Bethlehem figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: New York has the largest pool within reach, about 2,190, at a $70,130 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem | – | – | – |
| Philadelphia | 48 mi | 580 | $58,350 |
| Scranton | 56 mi | – | – |
| Lancaster | 58 mi | 90 | $49,950 |
| Harrisburg | 77 mi | – | – |
| New York | 78 mi | 2,190 | $70,130 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Allentown-Bethlehem crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Allentown-Bethlehem in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- PA SITES brownfield redevelopment (Bethlehem Steel)$500M statewide program (~$400M to PA SITES)Signed into law; rollout underway
Governor Shapiro signed the program into law at the former Bethlehem Steel campus, funding remediation to turn old industrial sites into shovel-ready properties for new business - a direct, symbolic anchor in this metro.
- LVHN neighborhood hospitals (Hellertown + Tannersville)UndisclosedHellertown underway; Tannersville opening winter 2026
A three-story, 90,000 sq ft neighborhood hospital in Hellertown and a new health care campus in Tannersville near I-80 - Lehigh Valley Health Network's fourth and fifth such facilities.
- Bethlehem Steel logistics and distribution hubUndisclosedUnder development
A New Jersey-based developer's plan to transform a portion of the former Bethlehem Steel complex into a modern logistics hub - described as one of the largest construction projects in the Lehigh Valley in recent years.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Allentown-Bethlehem market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Allentown-Bethlehem.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end an LED & solar offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: LED & Solar credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - LED & Solar hiring in Allentown-Bethlehem.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Allentown-Bethlehem?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Allentown-Bethlehem, an $82,490 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $66,500, 19% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $56,550. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (24% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Allentown-Bethlehem?
BLS counted 54 nonresidential electrical contractors in Allentown-Bethlehem in 2023. Down from 60 in 2018, a 10% decline against 6% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with Allentown-Bethlehem for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Philadelphia (48 miles, about 580, $58,350 median), Lancaster (58 miles, about 90, $49,950 median) and New York (78 miles, about 2,190, $70,130 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
54 nonresidential electrical contractors in Allentown-Bethlehem are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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