LED & Solar recruiters serving Lakeland.
BLS counts 45 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 Lakeland.
BLS counts about 1,080 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Lakeland metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,020). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Lakeland: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Lakeland: 1,020 employed · $54,920 median, 101st-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
Lakeland: 360 employed · $70,640 median, 100th-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)
Lakeland: 1,860 employed · $74,500 median, 92nd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Lakeland: 60 employed · $56,430 median, 102nd-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Lakeland.
BLS publishes no Lakeland pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Lakeland earn a median $54,920, 13% under the $63,190 national figure, and 101st of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,240 at the tenth percentile to $75,750 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $56,430 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Lakeland pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Lakeland 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) | $54,920 | $37,240–$75,750 | $63,190 | −13% | 1,020 |
| 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) | $70,640 | $42,250–$122,850 | $78,740 | −10% | 360 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $74,500 | $48,840–$101,310 | $79,920 | −7% | 1,860 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $56,430 | $45,760–$74,040 | $74,090 | −24% | 60 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Lakeland 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 Lakeland's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Lakeland lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 47 business locations to 45 (down 4%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 25%, to about 578 people. Average annual pay there went from $51,187 to $59,976 (+17%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 47 | 45 | −4% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 772 | 578 | −25% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $51,187 | $59,976 | +17% |
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 Lakeland's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 510 | $48,290 | 0.90 | 545 |
| Orlando | 420 | $46,660 | 1.47 | 264 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 60 | $54,410 | 1.39 | 58 |
| Tampa | – | $51,170 | – | 316 |
| Jacksonville | – | – | – | 144 |
| North Port-Sarasota | – | – | – | 63 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | – | – | – | 68 |
| Lakeland | – | – | – | 45 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | – | – | – | 48 |
| Port St. Lucie | – | – | – | 47 |
| Pensacola | – | – | – | 35 |
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 Lakeland have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Lakeland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Florida.
Florida offers a Certified Solar Contractor (CV) license that covers photovoltaic and solar water and pool heating systems. Licensed electrical contractors (EC) may also install PV systems. The same state rules apply in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Lakeland without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (Construction Industry Licensing Board; Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Lakeland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Tampa, about 30 miles away. BLS does not publish Lakeland figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Orlando has the largest pool within reach, about 420, and Deltona-Daytona pays the most, a $54,410 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | – | – | – |
| Tampa | 32 mi | – | $51,170 |
| Orlando | 49 mi | 420 | $46,660 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 71 mi | – | – |
| Deltona-Daytona | 73 mi | 60 | $54,410 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 83 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Lakeland crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Lakeland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- AdventHealth medical complex (Polk Parkway/Harden Blvd)Undisclosed (up to 720,000 sq ft)Free-standing ER as early as 2026; full 400-bed hospital 2028-2029
A separate 400-bed hospital campus with medical offices, an apartment complex, and retail space - the third concurrent hospital-scale project in this metro. The full hospital opens later than the initial ER; a 2027 date understates the timeline for the full campus.
- MDH Partners industrial portfolio$67.7M purchaseImprovements underway
An Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm's acquisition and planned upgrade of a Lakeland industrial portfolio, reflecting sustained logistics/warehouse demand along the I-4 corridor.
- AdventHealth Winter Haven hospitalUndisclosedPlanned
A four-story, 192-bed hospital with a dedicated emergency department, medical offices, and ancillary facilities.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Lakeland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Lakeland.
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 Lakeland.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Lakeland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Lakeland, a $74,500 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $56,430, 24% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $54,920. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (24% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Lakeland?
BLS counted 45 nonresidential electrical contractors in Lakeland in 2023, employing about 578 people between them. Down from 47 in 2018, a 4% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 13 people per location. They pay an average of $59,976, 29% 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 Lakeland for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Tampa (32 miles, $51,170 median), Orlando (49 miles, about 420, $46,660 median) and Deltona-Daytona (73 miles, about 60, $54,410 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
45 nonresidential electrical contractors in Lakeland are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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