LED & Solar recruiters serving McAllen.
BLS counts 42 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 McAllen.
BLS counts about 730 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the McAllen metro, the largest group being electricians (about 670). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
McAllen: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
McAllen: 670 employed · $46,930 median, 112th-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
McAllen: 230 employed · $64,420 median, 109th-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)
McAllen: 800 employed · $60,370 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
McAllen: 60 employed · $55,360 median, 104th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in McAllen.
BLS publishes no McAllen pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in McAllen earn a median $46,930, 26% under the $63,190 national figure, and 112th of 112 metros. Pay runs $34,520 at the tenth percentile to $71,850 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $55,360 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds McAllen pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | McAllen 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) | $46,930 | $34,520–$71,850 | $63,190 | −26% | 670 |
| 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) | $64,420 | $37,730–$103,920 | $78,740 | −18% | 230 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $60,370 | $39,580–$99,240 | $79,920 | −24% | 800 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $55,360 | $33,320–$82,390 | $74,090 | −25% | 60 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, McAllen 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 McAllen's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in McAllen rose from 35 in 2018 to 42 in 2023, up 20%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 32%, to about 703 people. Average annual pay there went from $34,440 to $45,888 (+33%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 35 | 42 | +20% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 531 | 703 | +32% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $34,440 | $45,888 | +33% |
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 McAllen's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 1,620 | $47,060 | 2.45 | 709 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 1,570 | $48,350 | 1.93 | 859 |
| Austin | 830 | $50,580 | 3.18 | 315 |
| San Antonio | – | – | – | 259 |
| McAllen | – | – | – | 42 |
| El Paso | – | – | – | 74 |
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 McAllen are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, McAllen metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Texas.
Texas licenses electricians statewide, and non-exempt electrical work, including installing solar panels, must be done by licensed individuals working through a licensed electrical contractor. Companies offering turnkey solar installation must hold a TDLR electrical contractor license. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in McAllen without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for McAllen talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Antonio, about 225 miles away. BLS does not publish McAllen figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Austin has the largest pool within reach, about 830, at a $50,580 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen | – | – | – |
| San Antonio | 223 mi | – | – |
| Austin | 282 mi | 830 | $50,580 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for McAllen crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into McAllen in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- 47-acre industrial park (Anzalduas/Pharr bridges)$6M federal EDA grant (public infrastructure) + ~$34.5M private investment, expected to create nearly 500 jobsConstruction targeted to begin as early as September 2026, ending by February 2027
City-built water, sewer, drainage, and roadway infrastructure for a new industrial park near the international bridges, in a corridor already seeing real cold-storage/refrigerated-warehouse growth (Pharr Produce Park, Mega Produce, CIL Fresh) - industrial refrigeration and process-mechanical work at a scale new to this market.
- McAllen International Airport terminal + runway expansion$225M ($180M terminal + up to $45M runway)Multi-year buildout
90,000 sq ft of new terminal construction, bringing the airport to roughly 238,000 sq ft of gross building area, plus runway expansion - sustained airport-facility construction and MEP demand.
- Driscoll Children's Hospital PICU expansion$9.1M+Opened
A completed, historical example of the healthcare-construction capacity this metro delivers - 15 additional Pediatric Intensive Care Unit beds, bringing PICU capacity to 23 beds and the hospital to 134 beds total.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The McAllen market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in McAllen.
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 McAllen.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in McAllen?
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 McAllen, a $64,420 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $55,360, 14% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $46,930. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician trails national pay the most (26% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in McAllen?
BLS counted 42 nonresidential electrical contractors in McAllen in 2023, employing about 703 people between them. Up from 35 in 2018, a 20% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 17 people per location. They pay an average of $45,888, 46% 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 McAllen for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Austin (282 miles, about 830, $50,580 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
42 nonresidential electrical contractors in McAllen are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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