LED & Solar recruiters serving Boston.
Solar photovoltaic installers are scarcer in Boston than in most of the country, 31% fewer per job, so the roughly 380 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 595 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 Boston.
BLS counts about 14,510 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Boston metro, the largest group being electricians (about 13,410). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.69). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Boston: 380 employed · $59,400 median, 16th-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Boston: 13,410 employed · $79,910 median, 9th-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
Boston: 3,110 employed · $102,640 median, 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)
Boston: 13,110 employed · $99,890 median, 10th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Boston: 720 employed · $79,020 median, 24th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Boston.
Solar photovoltaic installers in Boston earn a median $59,400, 12% over the $53,140 national figure, and 16th of 39 metros. Pay runs $46,150 at the tenth percentile to $76,500 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $79,910 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Boston 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) | $59,400 | $46,150–$76,500 | $53,140 | +12% | 380 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $79,910 | $47,240–$129,320 | $63,190 | +26% | 13,410 |
| 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) | $102,640 | $63,200–$157,200 | $78,740 | +30% | 3,110 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $99,890 | $69,370–$137,990 | $79,920 | +25% | 13,110 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $79,020 | $44,210–$113,030 | $74,090 | +7% | 720 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Boston 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 Boston's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Boston lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 619 business locations to 595 (down 4%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 13%, to about 14,494 people, so fewer firms are employing more people each. Average annual pay there went from $88,617 to $104,876 (+18%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 619 | 595 | −4% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 12,788 | 14,494 | +13% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $88,617 | $104,876 | +18% |
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
Boston runs 31% fewer LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — well below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep 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 Boston's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Boston ranks 15th for headcount, 14th for median pay and 30th for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. That makes it one of the thinnest LED and solar labor markets we recruit in.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 380 | $59,400 | 0.69 | 595 |
| Worcester | – | – | – | 108 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For LED and solar employers in Boston, the headline number is misleading. About 380 solar photovoltaic installers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Local employers are still adding headcount, which keeps competition for experienced people high. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Boston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Massachusetts.
State guidance says PV components must be installed by Massachusetts-licensed electricians, following the supervision ratios in M.G.L. c. 141. The same state rules apply in Worcester, so candidates licensed there can work in Boston without re-qualifying. The Boston metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Board of State Examiners of Electricians. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in Boston yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Boston than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Commercial HVAC Service TechnicianTwo decades of HVAC and refrigeration, including chief engineer roles.
Nearby markets competing for Boston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Worcester, about 40 miles away. Boston pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($59,400 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Albany at $49,470. Boston is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | – | 380 | $59,400 |
| Worcester | 38 mi | – | – |
| Providence | 41 mi | 110 | $53,700 |
| Hartford | 93 mi | – | – |
| Bridgeport | 137 mi | – | – |
| Albany | 139 mi | 100 | $49,470 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Boston crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Boston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Mass General Brigham campus expansions$2B+ programThrough 2028
Healthcare mechanical at world-class hospitals. Med-gas, isolation-room HVAC, high-spec institutional. Steady multi-year demand for hospital-experienced trades.
- MIT & Harvard campus development (Cambridge/Allston)$3B+ combinedRolling
University lab, research, and institutional construction. High-spec finishes, custom lab MEP, LEED-driven mechanical. Long-duration institutional pipeline.
- Kendall Square lab & cleanroom towers (Cambridge)$5B+ ongoingPhased through 2030
Densest life-sciences cluster in the world. Cleanroom MEP, lab process piping, high-spec HVAC. Sustained multi-year demand for lab-experienced trades.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Boston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Boston.
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 Boston.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in Boston?
BLS puts the Boston median for solar photovoltaic installers at $59,400 a year, 12% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks 16th of 39 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,150 and $76,500, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in Boston?
Yes. Boston has 31% fewer solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 380 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 595 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 24 employees per location.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Boston?
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 Boston, a $102,640 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $79,910, 22% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $59,400. Relative to national pay, 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 is the strongest-paying role here (30% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Boston?
BLS counted 595 nonresidential electrical contractors in Boston in 2023, employing about 14,494 people between them. Down from 619 in 2018, a 4% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 24 people per location. They pay an average of $104,876, 24% 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 Boston for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Providence (41 miles, about 110, $53,700 median), Albany (139 miles, about 100, $49,470 median) and New York (190 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. New York pays 18% more, which is where Boston employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With solar photovoltaic installers this scarce in Boston, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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