LED & Solar recruiters serving Charleston.
BLS counts 119 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 Charleston.
BLS counts about 1,610 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Charleston metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,480). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Charleston: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Charleston: 1,480 employed · $59,010 median, 82nd-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
Charleston: 540 employed · $73,130 median, 88th-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)
Charleston: 2,560 employed · $77,470 median, 68th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Charleston: 130 employed · $88,130 median, 9th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Charleston.
BLS publishes no Charleston pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Charleston earn a median $59,010, 7% under the $63,190 national figure, and 82nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,560 at the tenth percentile to $75,660 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $88,130 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Charleston pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Charleston 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) | $59,010 | $45,560–$75,660 | $63,190 | −7% | 1,480 |
| 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) | $73,130 | $48,840–$129,520 | $78,740 | −7% | 540 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,470 | $56,770–$106,960 | $79,920 | −3% | 2,560 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $88,130 | $53,470–$101,610 | $74,090 | +19% | 130 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charleston 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 Charleston's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Charleston rose from 104 in 2018 to 119 in 2023, up 14%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went down 18%, to about 1,817 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $54,425 to $70,490 (+30%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 104 | 119 | +14% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 2,218 | 1,817 | −18% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $54,425 | $70,490 | +30% |
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 Charleston's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Commercial employers |
|---|---|
| Greenville | 99 |
| Charleston | 119 |
| Columbia | 78 |
| Myrtle Beach | 47 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:Local LED and solar employers in Charleston have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Charleston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in South Carolina.
Commercial solar installers need a mechanical contractor's license with an electrical classification, plus other classifications for roof-mounted or ground-mounted structural work. Residential systems fall under the Residential Builders Commission. The same state rules apply in Greenville, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Charleston without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Contractor's Licensing Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Charleston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Myrtle Beach, about 85 miles away. BLS does not publish Charleston figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Charlotte has the largest pool within reach, about 150, at a $45,970 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | – | – | – |
| Myrtle Beach | 87 mi | – | – |
| Columbia | 106 mi | – | – |
| Augusta | 128 mi | – | – |
| Charlotte | 177 mi | 150 | $45,970 |
| Jacksonville | 197 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Charleston crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Charleston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Boeing South Carolina final assembly building expansion$1B+Ramping to 10 airplanes/month in 2026
A new 1.2 million sq ft final assembly building in North Charleston - aerospace-grade electrical, mechanical, and fabrication demand at a scale unmatched elsewhere in the metro.
- U.S. Coast Guard Base Charleston modernization$440M+ across three contracts (including a $230M design-build contract for a new engineering complex, personnel housing, and parking structure)Latest contract targets 2030 completion
A multi-year infrastructure expansion: Pier Mike recapitalization, a new medical/dental facility, and now a 90,000 sq ft engineering complex plus a 120,000 sq ft multifunctional building - all built by Brasfield & Gorrie.
- I-526 / Long Point Road interchange$227MDesign underway (Parsons)
Major interchange reconstruction feeding the region's port and industrial corridor - sustained heavy-civil and paving demand.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Charleston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Charleston.
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 Charleston.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Charleston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician pays the most in Charleston, an $88,130 median. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,010. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (19% above). 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 trails national pay the most (7% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Charleston?
BLS counted 119 nonresidential electrical contractors in Charleston in 2023, employing about 1,817 people between them. Up from 104 in 2018, a 14% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 15 people per location. They pay an average of $70,490, 17% below 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 Charleston for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Charlotte (177 miles, about 150, $45,970 median) and Deltona-Daytona (279 miles, about 60, $54,410 median).
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119 nonresidential electrical contractors in Charleston are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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