LED & Solar recruiters serving Durham-Chapel Hill.
BLS counts 62 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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
BLS counts about 1,340 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Durham-Chapel Hill metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,160). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Durham-Chapel Hill: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Durham-Chapel Hill: 1,160 employed · $59,220 median, 78th-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
Durham-Chapel Hill: 360 employed · $80,800 median, 32nd-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)
Durham-Chapel Hill: 1,270 employed · $75,430 median, 84th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Durham-Chapel Hill: 180 employed · $76,740 median, 38th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Durham-Chapel Hill.
BLS publishes no Durham-Chapel Hill pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Durham-Chapel Hill earn a median $59,220, 6% under the $63,190 national figure, and 78th of 112 metros. Pay runs $46,160 at the tenth percentile to $75,800 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $76,740 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Durham-Chapel Hill pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Durham-Chapel Hill 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) | $59,220 | $46,160–$75,800 | $63,190 | −6% | 1,160 |
| 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) | $80,800 | $43,800–$131,400 | $78,740 | +3% | 360 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,430 | $48,690–$101,640 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,270 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $76,740 | $61,720–$97,040 | $74,090 | +4% | 180 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Durham-Chapel Hill rose from 52 in 2018 to 62 in 2023, up 19%, ahead of the 6% national rise.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 52 | 62 | +19% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | – | 1,211 | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | – | $74,092 | – |
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 Durham-Chapel Hill's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 150 | $45,970 | 0.56 | 345 |
| Raleigh | – | – | – | 183 |
| Greensboro | – | – | – | 75 |
| Winston-Salem | – | – | – | 57 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | – | – | – | 62 |
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 Durham-Chapel Hill are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in North Carolina.
A solar PV installation of any value requires an electrical contractor license. Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited classifications apply by project cost (up to $60,000, up to $150,000, and above $150,000). The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, so candidates licensed there can work in Durham-Chapel Hill without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Durham-Chapel Hill talent.
The closest metro we cover is Raleigh, about 20 miles away. BLS does not publish Durham-Chapel Hill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill | – | – | – |
| Raleigh | 21 mi | – | – |
| Greensboro | 50 mi | – | – |
| Winston-Salem | 75 mi | – | – |
| Charlotte | 121 mi | 150 | $45,970 |
| Richmond | 134 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Durham-Chapel Hill crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Durham-Chapel Hill in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- AbbVie pharmaceutical manufacturing campus$1.4BConstruction begins 2026, completion by end of 2028
185 acres near Research Triangle Park - small volume parenteral drug manufacturing, next-generation labs, a warehouse, and administrative/wellness facilities. 734 direct jobs over 4 years and 2,000+ construction jobs during buildout.
- UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina North campus extensionUndisclosedSite prep ahead of a projected summer 2027 groundbreaking
A planned campus extension with initial infrastructure work now underway.
- Novartis biologics manufacturing investment$771M (across Durham and Wake counties)Multi-year buildout
Two new facilities for biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, plus an expansion of Novartis' existing Durham facility to add sterile filling of biologics into syringes and vials - about 700 jobs.
These are the 3 projects we track in Durham-Chapel Hill. The Durham-Chapel Hill market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Durham-Chapel Hill.
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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Of the roles we recruit for, 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 pays the most in Durham-Chapel Hill, an $80,800 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $76,740, 5% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,220. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (4% above). Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS counted 62 nonresidential electrical contractors in Durham-Chapel Hill in 2023, employing about 1,211 people between them. Up from 52 in 2018, a 19% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 20 people per location. They pay an average of $74,092, 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 Durham-Chapel Hill for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Charlotte (121 miles, about 150, $45,970 median), Virginia Beach (173 miles, $47,930 median) and Baltimore (260 miles, about 490, $45,220 median).
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62 nonresidential electrical contractors in Durham-Chapel Hill are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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