LED & Solar recruiters serving Cincinnati.
BLS counts 261 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 Cincinnati.
BLS counts about 5,860 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Cincinnati metro, the largest group being electricians (about 5,640). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Cincinnati: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Cincinnati: 5,640 employed · $63,490 median, 50th-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
Cincinnati: 1,630 employed · $79,130 median, 44th-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)
Cincinnati: 4,730 employed · $80,520 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Cincinnati: 220 employed · $63,790 median, 80th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Cincinnati.
BLS publishes no Cincinnati pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Cincinnati earn a median $63,490, level with the $63,190 national figure, and 50th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,530 at the tenth percentile to $98,260 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $63,790 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Cincinnati pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Cincinnati 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) | $63,490 | $38,530–$98,260 | $63,190 | 0% | 5,640 |
| 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) | $79,130 | $50,800–$126,230 | $78,740 | 0% | 1,630 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,520 | $57,820–$105,440 | $79,920 | +1% | 4,730 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $63,790 | $37,460–$85,260 | $74,090 | −14% | 220 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Cincinnati rose from 249 in 2018 to 261 in 2023, up 5%, close to the 6% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 14%, to about 5,268 people. Average annual pay there went from $61,861 to $74,447 (+20%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 249 | 261 | +5% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 4,635 | 5,268 | +14% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $61,861 | $74,447 | +20% |
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 Cincinnati's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Commercial employers |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 261 |
| Columbus | 238 |
| Cleveland | 242 |
| Dayton | 77 |
| Akron | 77 |
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 Cincinnati are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Cincinnati metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Ohio.
The board licenses commercial contractors in electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration, so commercial electrical contracting needs a state license. Local building departments may also require it for residential work. The same state rules apply in Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Cincinnati without re-qualifying. The Cincinnati metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Ohio Department of Commerce). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Junior Project ManagerA licensed architect placed into a project management seat after the firm lost its PM mid-project.
- Special Projects Sheet Metal TechnicianAn early-career sheet metal technician placed with onboarding support built into the plan.
Nearby markets competing for Cincinnati talent.
The closest metro we cover is Dayton, about 45 miles away. BLS does not publish Cincinnati figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Indianapolis has the largest pool within reach, about 240, at a $39,690 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | – | – | – |
| Dayton | 47 mi | – | – |
| Louisville | 90 mi | – | – |
| Indianapolis | 98 mi | 240 | $39,690 |
| Columbus | 99 mi | – | – |
| Akron | 208 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Cincinnati crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Cincinnati in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CVG air cargo and logistics expansionMulti-hundred-million, rollingOngoing
Northern Kentucky's airport is one of the largest air cargo hubs in North America. Sortation and logistics facility construction drives conveyor systems, industrial electrical, and high-bay mechanical work.
- Consumer products and advanced manufacturing corridorRolling private investment2025-2029
The region's manufacturing base drives process piping, industrial controls, and plant maintenance demand - steady work that competes with commercial contractors for the same mechanical and electrical talent.
- Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project$4.4B (up from $3.6B estimate)Construction began early 2026, broke ground May 2026
Transforms an eight-mile stretch of I-71 and I-75 across the Ohio River, adding a double-decker cable-stayed companion bridge. The defining heavy civil program of the Midwest - structural steel, cable-stay specialty work, and multi-year sustained demand for bridge-experienced field leadership.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Cincinnati market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Cincinnati.
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 Cincinnati.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Cincinnati?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Cincinnati, an $80,520 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $63,790, 21% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $63,490. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Cincinnati?
BLS counted 261 nonresidential electrical contractors in Cincinnati in 2023, employing about 5,268 people between them. Up from 249 in 2018, a 5% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 20 people per location. They pay an average of $74,447, 12% 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 Cincinnati for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (98 miles, about 240, $39,690 median) and Detroit (234 miles, about 140, $48,020 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
261 nonresidential electrical contractors in Cincinnati are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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