LED & Solar recruiters serving Knoxville.
BLS counts 97 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 Knoxville.
BLS counts about 2,360 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Knoxville metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,170). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Knoxville: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Knoxville: 2,170 employed · $58,640 median, 85th-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
Knoxville: 540 employed · $72,900 median, 91st-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)
Knoxville: 2,680 employed · $66,830 median, 107th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Knoxville: 190 employed · $59,560 median, 96th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Knoxville.
BLS publishes no Knoxville pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Knoxville earn a median $58,640, 7% under the $63,190 national figure, and 85th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,020 at the tenth percentile to $79,530 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $59,560 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Knoxville pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Knoxville 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) | $58,640 | $38,020–$79,530 | $63,190 | −7% | 2,170 |
| 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) | $72,900 | $42,760–$115,860 | $78,740 | −7% | 540 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $66,830 | $44,810–$104,520 | $79,920 | −16% | 2,680 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $59,560 | $36,690–$79,200 | $74,090 | −20% | 190 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Knoxville 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 Knoxville's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Knoxville rose from 64 in 2018 to 97 in 2023, up 52%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 15%, to about 2,329 people. Average annual pay there went from $56,270 to $63,763 (+13%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 64 | 97 | +52% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 2,030 | 2,329 | +15% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $56,270 | $63,763 | +13% |
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 Knoxville's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Commercial employers |
|---|---|
| Nashville | 327 |
| Memphis | 157 |
| Knoxville | 97 |
| Chattanooga | 68 |
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 Knoxville are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Knoxville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Tennessee.
Electrical projects of $25,000 or more need a contractor license with the electrical (CE) classification, and smaller projects can use a Limited Licensed Electrician credential. Local governments may require their own electrician licenses. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga, so candidates licensed there can work in Knoxville without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Knoxville talent.
The closest metro we cover is Chattanooga, about 100 miles away.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | – | – | – |
| Chattanooga | 101 mi | – | – |
| Greenville | 115 mi | – | – |
| Atlanta | 155 mi | – | – |
| Nashville | 161 mi | – | – |
| Huntsville | 173 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Knoxville crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Knoxville in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- DOE Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus (finalist)Undisclosed, federalSite selection ongoing
Tennessee is one of just 5 states selected as a finalist out of 26 applicants for a major Department of Energy nuclear research campus - a signal of the region's growing strategic importance to the nuclear-energy sector.
- LIS Technologies laser uranium enrichment facility$1.38BAnnounced 2026
A new facility on the historic K-25 uranium enrichment site, expected to create more than 200 jobs. One of the largest single nuclear-industrial capital commitments in the region's history.
- Y-12 demolition and cleanup programFederal EM programAlpha-2 completed January 2026; Beta-1 and Old Steam Plant ongoing
DOE completed demolition of the 325,000 sq ft Alpha-2 facility (the largest demolition in Y-12's history, clearing 2.5+ acres) in January 2026, and crews are preparing the 210,000 sq ft Beta-1 facility and the Old Steam Plant for removal. Clears contaminated Manhattan Project/Cold War-era sites for new missions and community reuse.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Knoxville market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Knoxville.
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 Knoxville.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Knoxville?
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 Knoxville, a $72,900 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $59,560, 18% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $58,640. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Knoxville?
BLS counted 97 nonresidential electrical contractors in Knoxville in 2023, employing about 2,329 people between them. Up from 64 in 2018, a 52% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 24 people per location. They pay an average of $63,763, 25% 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 Knoxville for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Charlotte (180 miles, about 150, $45,970 median) and Indianapolis (290 miles, about 240, $39,690 median).
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97 nonresidential electrical contractors in Knoxville are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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