LED & Solar recruiters serving Grand Rapids.
BLS counts 96 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 Grand Rapids.
BLS counts about 3,060 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Grand Rapids metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,880). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Grand Rapids: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Grand Rapids: 2,880 employed · $62,240 median, 61st-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
Grand Rapids: 1,100 employed · $76,030 median, 74th-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)
Grand Rapids: 2,490 employed · $75,350 median, 85th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Grand Rapids: 180 employed · $60,360 median, 93rd-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Grand Rapids.
BLS publishes no Grand Rapids pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Grand Rapids earn a median $62,240, level with the $63,190 national figure, and 61st of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,490 at the tenth percentile to $97,760 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $60,360 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Grand Rapids pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Grand Rapids 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) | $62,240 | $38,490–$97,760 | $63,190 | −2% | 2,880 |
| 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) | $76,030 | $49,790–$117,320 | $78,740 | −3% | 1,100 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,350 | $52,470–$113,990 | $79,920 | −6% | 2,490 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $60,360 | $43,480–$78,240 | $74,090 | −19% | 180 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Grand Rapids lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 98 business locations to 96 (down 2%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Grand Rapids, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 98 | 96 | −2% |
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 Grand Rapids's LED and solar market compares
| 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.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Grand Rapids 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 Detroit, so candidates licensed there can work in Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids talent.
The closest metro we cover is Milwaukee, about 115 miles away. BLS does not publish Grand Rapids figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Indianapolis has the largest pool within reach, about 240, and Detroit pays the most, a $48,020 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | – | – | – |
| Milwaukee | 113 mi | – | – |
| Chicago | 127 mi | – | – |
| Detroit | 140 mi | 140 | $48,020 |
| Madison | 189 mi | – | – |
| Indianapolis | 222 mi | 240 | $39,690 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Grand Rapids crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Grand Rapids in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Van Andel Institute Phase II research expansion$178M (completed 2009)Completed 2009 -- not a current project
Wet-lab research space with capacity for 12-15 additional principal investigators. Lab-grade mechanical, electrical, and process-utility construction distinct from hospital work.
- JR Automation headquarters (Zeeland)UndisclosedBroke ground September 2025
A single-campus manufacturing and production headquarters for the lakeshore automation manufacturer, with plans to more than double manufacturing space if market conditions allow - industrial construction outside the Medical Mile corridor.
- Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital addition$1.34BConstruction starting summer 2027, complete 2030
780,000 sq ft and 180 rooms added to Butterworth Hospital. Hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction at the anchor of Grand Rapids' "Medical Mile."
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Grand Rapids market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Grand Rapids.
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 Grand Rapids.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Grand Rapids?
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 Grand Rapids, a $76,030 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $62,240, 18% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $60,360. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Grand Rapids?
BLS counted 96 nonresidential electrical contractors in Grand Rapids in 2023. Down from 98 in 2018, a 2% decline against 6% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with Grand Rapids for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Detroit (140 miles, about 140, $48,020 median) and Indianapolis (222 miles, about 240, $39,690 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
96 nonresidential electrical contractors in Grand Rapids are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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