LED & Solar recruiters serving Cleveland.
BLS counts 242 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 Cleveland.
BLS counts about 4,640 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Cleveland metro, the largest group being electricians (about 4,420). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Cleveland: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Cleveland: 4,420 employed · $70,860 median, 40th-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
Cleveland: 1,390 employed · $78,120 median, 54th-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)
Cleveland: 3,550 employed · $80,610 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Cleveland: 220 employed · $61,180 median, 91st-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Cleveland.
BLS publishes no Cleveland pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Cleveland earn a median $70,860, 12% over the $63,190 national figure, and 40th of 112 metros. Pay runs $41,090 at the tenth percentile to $100,330 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $61,180 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Cleveland pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Cleveland 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) | $70,860 | $41,090–$100,330 | $63,190 | +12% | 4,420 |
| 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) | $78,120 | $50,350–$128,440 | $78,740 | −1% | 1,390 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,610 | $58,220–$106,340 | $79,920 | +1% | 3,550 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $61,180 | $37,880–$89,440 | $74,090 | −17% | 220 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cleveland 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 Cleveland's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Cleveland rose from 227 in 2018 to 242 in 2023, up 7%, close to the 6% national change. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 3,753. Average annual pay there went from $63,139 to $74,552 (+18%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 227 | 242 | +7% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 3,697 | 3,753 | +2% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $63,139 | $74,552 | +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
How Cleveland'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 Cleveland are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Cleveland 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 Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Cleveland without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Ohio Department of Commerce). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Cleveland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Akron, about 30 miles away. BLS does not publish Cleveland figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Detroit has the largest pool within reach, about 140, at a $48,020 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | – | – | – |
| Akron | 30 mi | – | – |
| Detroit | 90 mi | 140 | $48,020 |
| Pittsburgh | 115 mi | – | – |
| Columbus | 126 mi | – | – |
| Buffalo | 173 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Cleveland crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Cleveland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Cleveland Clinic Avon campus expansion$322MBroke ground July 2026, completing 2029
Multi-phase expansion of Avon Hospital and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center, adding ~250,000 sq ft of clinical space in Lorain County. Sustained, multi-year mechanical and plumbing demand outside the core city.
- Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute$1.1BOpening January 18, 2027
1M sq ft, 210 inpatient rooms, 36 neuro ICU beds, 16 operating rooms. One of the largest single healthcare capital projects in Ohio, requiring hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction at scale.
- Cleveland Clinic Unified Operations Center$142M26-month build, completing late 2028
650,000 sq ft facility in Walton Hills for 526 relocated/new jobs. Large-footprint commercial construction and MEP fit-out, distinct from the hospital-grade work driving the other Clinic projects.
These are the 3 projects we track in Cleveland. The Cleveland market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Cleveland.
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 Cleveland.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Cleveland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Cleveland, a $80,610 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $70,860, 12% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $61,180. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (12% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (17% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Cleveland?
BLS counted 242 nonresidential electrical contractors in Cleveland in 2023, employing about 3,753 people between them. Up from 227 in 2018, a 7% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 16 people per location. They pay an average of $74,552, 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 Cleveland for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Detroit (90 miles, about 140, $48,020 median), Indianapolis (263 miles, about 240, $39,690 median) and Lancaster (299 miles, about 90, $49,950 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
242 nonresidential electrical contractors in Cleveland are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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