LED & Solar recruiters serving Chattanooga.
BLS counts 68 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 Chattanooga.
BLS counts about 1,900 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Chattanooga metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,760). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Chattanooga: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Chattanooga: 1,760 employed · $72,330 median, 36th-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
Chattanooga: 440 employed · $70,450 median, 101st-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)
Chattanooga: 1,430 employed · $75,090 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Chattanooga: 140 employed · $64,010 median, 77th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Chattanooga.
BLS publishes no Chattanooga pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Chattanooga earn a median $72,330, 14% over the $63,190 national figure, and 36th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,030 at the tenth percentile to $85,830 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $64,010 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Chattanooga pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Chattanooga 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) | $72,330 | $38,030–$85,830 | $63,190 | +14% | 1,760 |
| 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) | $70,450 | $42,440–$106,190 | $78,740 | −11% | 440 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,090 | $48,910–$102,230 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,430 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $64,010 | $36,380–$81,350 | $74,090 | −14% | 140 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Chattanooga rose from 47 in 2018 to 68 in 2023, up 45%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 12%, to about 1,786 people. Average annual pay there went from $72,262 to $77,608 (+7%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 47 | 68 | +45% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 1,593 | 1,786 | +12% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $72,262 | $77,608 | +7% |
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 Chattanooga's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Commercial employers |
|---|---|
| Nashville | 327 |
| Memphis | 157 |
| Knoxville | 97 |
| Chattanooga | 68 |
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, Chattanooga metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Tennessee.
Electrical projects of $25,000 or more need a contractor license with the electrical (CE) classification, and smaller projects can use a Limited Licensed Electrician credential. Local governments may require their own electrician licenses. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, so candidates licensed there can work in Chattanooga without re-qualifying. The Chattanooga metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Chattanooga talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 75 miles away.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | – | – | – |
| Huntsville | 76 mi | – | – |
| Knoxville | 101 mi | – | – |
| Atlanta | 104 mi | – | – |
| Nashville | 113 mi | – | – |
| Birmingham | 135 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Chattanooga crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Chattanooga in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Volkswagen Chattanooga plant$4.3B invested since 2011Ongoing production transition
Volkswagen's sole US assembly facility, 4,000+ employees, reached a 1-million-vehicle milestone in 2026 and is pivoting from ID.4 electric vehicle assembly to the second-generation Atlas as its primary production mandate.
- Erlanger East Hospital expansion$122MConstruction begins summer 2026, opening fall 2028
A new three-story, 52,000 sq ft building on Gunbarrel Road adding 22 patient beds, a cardiac catheterization lab, an electrophysiology lab, and an interventional radiology lab, plus 100 new jobs.
- Parkridge Medical Center expansion$98MCompleting 2026
A new patient tower with intensive care and medical-surgical rooms.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Chattanooga market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Chattanooga.
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 Chattanooga.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Chattanooga?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Chattanooga, a $75,090 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $72,330, 4% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $64,010. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (14% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Chattanooga?
BLS counted 68 nonresidential electrical contractors in Chattanooga in 2023, employing about 1,786 people between them. Up from 47 in 2018, a 45% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 26 people per location. They pay an average of $77,608, 8% 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 Chattanooga for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Charlotte (253 miles, about 150, $45,970 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
68 nonresidential electrical contractors in Chattanooga are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →