LED & Solar recruiters serving Milwaukee.
BLS counts 155 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 Milwaukee.
BLS counts about 4,860 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Milwaukee metro, the largest group being electricians (about 4,490). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Milwaukee: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Milwaukee: 4,490 employed · $77,800 median, 15th-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
Milwaukee: 1,400 employed · $78,090 median, 55th-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)
Milwaukee: 3,860 employed · $91,760 median, 22nd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Milwaukee: 370 employed · $71,770 median, 54th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Milwaukee.
BLS publishes no Milwaukee pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Milwaukee earn a median $77,800, 23% over the $63,190 national figure, and 15th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,170 at the tenth percentile to $103,850 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $71,770 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Milwaukee pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Milwaukee 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) | $77,800 | $45,170–$103,850 | $63,190 | +23% | 4,490 |
| 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) | $78,090 | $53,950–$118,700 | $78,740 | −1% | 1,400 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $91,760 | $50,040–$129,780 | $79,920 | +15% | 3,860 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $71,770 | $48,520–$91,770 | $74,090 | −3% | 370 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Milwaukee rose from 150 in 2018 to 155 in 2023, up 3%, close to the 6% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Milwaukee, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 150 | 155 | +3% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 3,664 | – | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $68,885 | – | – |
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 Milwaukee's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Commercial employers |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 155 |
| Madison | 76 |
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, Milwaukee metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin licenses journeyman electricians and other electrical credentials statewide under Wis. Stat. 101.862. Its license page lists no solar-specific credential. The same state rules apply in Madison, so candidates licensed there can work in Milwaukee without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Milwaukee talent.
The closest metro we cover is Madison, about 75 miles away. BLS does not publish Milwaukee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | – | – | – |
| Madison | 76 mi | – | – |
| Chicago | 83 mi | – | – |
| Grand Rapids | 113 mi | – | – |
| Indianapolis | 243 mi | 240 | $39,690 |
| Detroit | 252 mi | 140 | $48,020 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Milwaukee crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Milwaukee in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Vantage Data Centers 'Lighthouse' campus (Port Washington, WI - ~30 min north of Milwaukee, not the Racine corridor; Meta's only WI data center is in Beaver Dam, ~60 mi away, also not the Racine corridor)$15BThrough 2028
A hyperscale campus in the broader Milwaukee metro (geographically north, not part of the Racine corridor with Foxconn and Microsoft) compounding regional demand for mission-critical mechanical and electrical talent.
- Microsoft Racine County data center$3.3B Phase 1 (operational since April 2026); a $4B second phase and a proposed $13.3B expansion would bring total commitment toward $20B+Phase 1 complete; later phases proposed/announced, not yet built
One of the largest data-center investments in the Midwest, just south of Milwaukee. Massive mechanical and electrical scope for a facility of this scale.
- Foxconn Mount Pleasant expansion$569M (part of $1.2B total committed through 2029)Through 2029
Adds to Foxconn's Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, creating 1,374 jobs over four years. Includes a Smart Manufacturing Center and a High-Performance Computing Data Center, with Mortenson selected as construction manager.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Milwaukee market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Milwaukee.
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 Milwaukee.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Milwaukee?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Milwaukee, a $91,760 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $77,800, 15% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $71,770. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (23% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (3% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Milwaukee?
BLS counted 155 nonresidential electrical contractors in Milwaukee in 2023. Up from 150 in 2018, a 3% increase 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 Milwaukee for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (243 miles, about 240, $39,690 median) and Detroit (252 miles, about 140, $48,020 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
155 nonresidential electrical contractors in Milwaukee are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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