LED & Solar recruiters serving Detroit.
Solar photovoltaic installers are scarcer in Detroit than in most of the country, 63% fewer per job, so the roughly 140 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 373 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 Detroit.
BLS counts about 12,130 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Detroit metro, the largest group being electricians (about 11,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.37). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Detroit: 140 employed · $48,020 median, 33rd-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Detroit: 11,210 employed · $81,990 median, 7th-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
Detroit: 3,400 employed · $80,200 median, 35th-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)
Detroit: 6,600 employed · $80,610 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Detroit: 780 employed · $64,050 median, 76th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Detroit.
Solar photovoltaic installers in Detroit earn a median $48,020, 10% under the $53,140 national figure, and 33rd of 39 metros. Pay runs $39,780 at the tenth percentile to $60,220 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $81,990 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Detroit 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) | $48,020 | $39,780–$60,220 | $53,140 | −10% | 140 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $81,990 | $46,660–$107,330 | $63,190 | +30% | 11,210 |
| 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) | $80,200 | $47,640–$130,140 | $78,740 | +2% | 3,400 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,610 | $60,310–$124,550 | $79,920 | +1% | 6,600 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $64,050 | $43,470–$93,080 | $74,090 | −14% | 780 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Detroit 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 Detroit's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Detroit rose from 329 in 2018 to 373 in 2023, up 13%, ahead of the 6% national rise.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 329 | 373 | +13% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | – | 9,161 | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | – | $98,271 | – |
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
Detroit runs 63% 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 Detroit's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Detroit ranks 25th for headcount, 31st for median pay and 32nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 140 | $48,020 | 0.37 | 373 |
| Grand Rapids | – | – | – | 96 |
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 Detroit, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Detroit metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Michigan.
Michigan licenses electrical contractors, master electricians, journeymen and apprentices statewide. Certain large-scale, utility-owned solar PV projects qualify for a limited exemption from electrical licensing. The same state rules apply in Grand Rapids, so candidates licensed there can work in Detroit without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Detroit talent.
The closest metro we cover is Cleveland, about 90 miles away.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | – | 140 | $48,020 |
| Cleveland | 90 mi | – | – |
| Akron | 117 mi | – | – |
| Grand Rapids | 140 mi | – | – |
| Columbus | 164 mi | – | – |
| Dayton | 187 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Detroit crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Detroit in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- GM Factory ZERO EV plant (Detroit-Hamtramck)~$2.2BRolling through 2030
Auto-manufacturing conversion to EV is driving enormous high-voltage electrical, process piping, and industrial MEP demand. Note: Ford's BlueOval Battery Park is in Marshall, MI (Battle Creek metro, ~100 mi away), not Detroit - it is not counted in this figure.
- Gordie Howe International Bridge (Detroit–Windsor)$4.4BOpened July 2026
Largest binational infrastructure project in North America, now complete - historical example of the heavy civil, structural, high-mast electrical, and toll/plaza MEP capacity this metro can deliver, not an active current driver.
- Ford Michigan Central Station district$950M+Ongoing
Restored rail depot now an innovation/mobility campus. Adaptive-reuse and new-build commercial construction with high-spec finishes and advanced systems.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Detroit market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Detroit.
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 Detroit.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in Detroit?
BLS puts the Detroit median for solar photovoltaic installers at $48,020 a year, 10% below the $53,140 national median. That ranks 33rd of 39 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $39,780 to $60,220 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in Detroit?
Yes. Detroit has 63% fewer solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 140 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 373 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 25 employees per location. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Detroit?
Of the roles we recruit for, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician pays the most in Detroit, an $81,990 median. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $48,020. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (30% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Detroit?
BLS counted 373 nonresidential electrical contractors in Detroit in 2023, employing about 9,161 people between them. Up from 329 in 2018, a 13% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 25 people per location. They pay an average of $98,271, 16% 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 Detroit for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (240 miles, about 240, $39,690 median). Indianapolis has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Detroit out-pays Indianapolis, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With solar photovoltaic installers this scarce in Detroit, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
Schedule a Discovery Call →