LED & Solar recruiters serving Memphis.
BLS counts 157 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 Memphis.
BLS counts about 2,960 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Memphis metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,770). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Memphis: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Memphis: 2,770 employed · $60,890 median, 70th-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
Memphis: 630 employed · $76,660 median, 70th-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)
Memphis: 2,500 employed · $75,850 median, 82nd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Memphis: 190 employed · $65,700 median, 69th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Memphis.
BLS publishes no Memphis pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Memphis earn a median $60,890, 4% under the $63,190 national figure, and 70th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,670 at the tenth percentile to $84,890 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $65,700 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Memphis pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Memphis 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) | $60,890 | $38,670–$84,890 | $63,190 | −4% | 2,770 |
| 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) | $76,660 | $50,160–$122,900 | $78,740 | −3% | 630 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,850 | $49,500–$109,280 | $79,920 | −5% | 2,500 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $65,700 | $42,380–$93,600 | $74,090 | −11% | 190 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Memphis 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 Memphis's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Memphis rose from 130 in 2018 to 157 in 2023, up 21%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 16%, to about 2,874 people. Average annual pay there went from $62,838 to $79,545 (+27%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 130 | 157 | +21% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 2,473 | 2,874 | +16% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $62,838 | $79,545 | +27% |
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 Memphis'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 Memphis are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Memphis 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, Knoxville and Chattanooga, so candidates licensed there can work in Memphis without re-qualifying. The Memphis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Memphis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Little Rock, about 130 miles away.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | – | – | – |
| Little Rock | 130 mi | – | – |
| Nashville | 196 mi | – | – |
| Huntsville | 198 mi | – | – |
| Birmingham | 217 mi | – | – |
| St. Louis | 240 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Memphis crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Memphis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FedEx Memphis World Hub overhaul~$1BMulti-year, phased
FedEx's broader modernization of its Memphis air-cargo hub, the largest in the world. Sustained materials-handling electrical, structural, and industrial mechanical demand across multiple concurrent projects.
- FedEx "Hercules" sorting facility$400MGroundwork permit filed Aug 2026
A 5-story, 1.6M sq ft automated small-package sorting facility at Memphis International Airport, connected by an elevated bridge to FedEx's recently completed Secondary 25 sorting center. First-phase groundwork includes site demolition, drainage, underground utilities, paving, and foundation work.
- FedEx International Priority Freight Shipment Facility expansion$18.1M3-phase, completing summer 2028
A ~500,000 sq ft commercial addition to an existing freight canopy at the World Hub - smaller in scale than Hercules but adds to the steady drumbeat of FedEx-driven construction demand in this market.
These are the 3 projects we track in Memphis. The Memphis market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Memphis.
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 Memphis.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Memphis?
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 Memphis, a $76,660 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $65,700, 14% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $60,890. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Memphis?
BLS counted 157 nonresidential electrical contractors in Memphis in 2023, employing about 2,874 people between them. Up from 130 in 2018, a 21% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 18 people per location. They pay an average of $79,545, 6% below the $84,633 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Can Memphis employers recruit solar photovoltaic installers from nearby metros?
Not easily. None of the other metros we cover within 300 miles of Memphis has published BLS figures for solar photovoltaic installers, so a search here mostly has to be won locally or by relocating someone from farther away.
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
157 nonresidential electrical contractors in Memphis are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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