LED & Solar recruiters serving Baltimore.
Baltimore has 80% more solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, about 490 in the metro. BLS counts 326 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 Baltimore.
BLS counts about 8,020 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Baltimore metro, the largest group being electricians (about 6,930). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.80). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Baltimore: 490 employed · $45,220 median, 38th-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Baltimore: 6,930 employed · $65,590 median, 45th-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
Baltimore: 2,430 employed · $80,130 median, 36th-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)
Baltimore: 7,670 employed · $77,690 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Baltimore: 600 employed · $75,880 median, 42nd-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Baltimore.
Solar photovoltaic installers in Baltimore earn a median $45,220, 15% under the $53,140 national figure, and 38th of 39 metros. Pay runs $44,200 at the tenth percentile to $61,300 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $75,880 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | Baltimore 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) | $45,220 | $44,200–$61,300 | $53,140 | −15% | 490 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $65,590 | $45,390–$113,090 | $63,190 | +4% | 6,930 |
| 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) | $80,130 | $49,750–$126,330 | $78,740 | +2% | 2,430 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,690 | $56,470–$117,070 | $79,920 | −3% | 7,670 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $75,880 | $49,920–$95,730 | $74,090 | +2% | 600 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Baltimore 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 Baltimore's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Baltimore lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 379 business locations to 326 (down 14%), behind the 6% growth nationally.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 379 | 326 | −14% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | – | 8,519 | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | – | $87,970 | – |
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
Baltimore runs 80% more LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Solar Photovoltaic Installers (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Baltimore's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Baltimore ranks 13th for headcount, 36th for median pay and 13th for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. Pay here is among the lowest we see, which makes relocation offers from higher-paying metros a real retention risk.
What this means for hiring:For LED and solar employers in Baltimore, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Baltimore metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Maryland.
The board issues master, journeyperson and apprentice electrician licenses. State-licensed electricians may also have to register with a local jurisdiction to work and pull permits there.
Licensing authority: Maryland State Board of Master Electricians (Maryland Department of Labor). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Baltimore talent.
The closest metro we cover is Washington, D.C., about 35 miles away. Philadelphia pays the most nearby, a $58,350 median, 29% above Baltimore. That is the number any Baltimore offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | – | 490 | $45,220 |
| Washington, D.C. | 36 mi | – | – |
| Lancaster | 54 mi | 90 | $49,950 |
| Harrisburg | 70 mi | – | – |
| Philadelphia | 90 mi | 580 | $58,350 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 109 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Baltimore crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Baltimore in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Tradepoint Atlantic, Sparrows PointMulti-phase, $1B+ invested to dateRolling
The former steel mill site is now the region's industrial engine and the staging/fabrication yard for Key Bridge steel. Structural welders, steel erection crews, millwrights, and industrial electricians all pulled here.
- University of Maryland Medical System expansionsPhased campus work2025-2028
Downtown and suburban campus build-out. Occupied-facility renovation experience is the differentiator - very different skill set from ground-up.
- Port of Baltimore modernizationFederal + state fundedOngoing
Howard Street Tunnel clearance work and terminal upgrades. Heavy equipment operators, riggers, and industrial electrical crews.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Baltimore market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Baltimore.
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 Baltimore.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in Baltimore?
BLS puts the Baltimore median for solar photovoltaic installers at $45,220 a year, 15% below the $53,140 national median. That ranks 38th of 39 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $44,200 to $61,300 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.4x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in Baltimore?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 80% more of the Baltimore workforce than they do nationally, about 490 people. The 326 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 26 employees per location. There are 14% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Baltimore?
Of the roles we recruit for, 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 pays the most in Baltimore, an $80,130 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $75,880, 5% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $45,220. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (4% above). Solar PV Installer trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Baltimore?
BLS counted 326 nonresidential electrical contractors in Baltimore in 2023, employing about 8,519 people between them. Down from 379 in 2018, a 14% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 26 people per location. They pay an average of $87,970, 4% above the $84,633 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with Baltimore for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Lancaster (54 miles, about 90, $49,950 median), Philadelphia (90 miles, about 580, $58,350 median) and New York (169 miles, about 2,190, $70,130 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Lancaster pays 10% more, which is where Baltimore employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Baltimore has one of the deeper pools of solar photovoltaic installers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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