LED & Solar recruiters serving New York.
Solar photovoltaic installers in New York earn a $70,130 median, 32% above the national figure, and about 2,190 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 1,876 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 New York.
BLS counts about 40,040 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the New York metro, the largest group being electricians (about 36,550). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.15). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
New York: 2,190 employed · $70,130 median, 3rd-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
New York: 36,550 employed · $79,020 median, 12th-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
New York: 11,610 employed · $82,380 median, 21st-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)
New York: 28,220 employed · $103,990 median, 6th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
New York: 1,300 employed · $76,190 median, 40th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in New York.
Solar photovoltaic installers in New York earn a median $70,130, 32% over the $53,140 national figure, and 3rd of 39 metros. Pay runs $47,600 at the tenth percentile to $102,050 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $79,020 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | New York 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) | $70,130 | $47,600–$102,050 | $53,140 | +32% | 2,190 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $79,020 | $46,170–$132,170 | $63,190 | +25% | 36,550 |
| 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) | $82,380 | $52,000–$150,690 | $78,740 | +5% | 11,610 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $103,990 | $66,180–$154,540 | $79,920 | +30% | 28,220 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $76,190 | $51,460–$113,870 | $74,090 | +3% | 1,300 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New York 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 New York's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
New York lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 1,961 business locations to 1,876 (down 4%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in New York, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 1,961 | 1,876 | −4% |
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
New York runs 15% more LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Solar Photovoltaic Installers (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How New York's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, New York ranks 1st for headcount, 3rd for median pay and 22nd for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 2,190 | $70,130 | 1.15 | 1,876 |
| Albany | 100 | $49,470 | 1.05 | 98 |
| Buffalo | – | – | – | 88 |
| Rochester | – | – | – | 90 |
| Syracuse | – | – | – | 63 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For LED and solar employers in New York, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, New York metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in New York.
New York has no statewide license for electricians or electrical contractors. The Department of State's own guidance describes master electricians as licensed by a municipality, and the only closely related state credential it issues is the security and fire alarm installer license, which covers alarm work rather than general electrical or solar PV installation. There is no separate state solar contractor license, so PV and LED retrofit work is performed under whichever municipal electrical license applies. Because these licenses are issued city by city and are generally not portable, verify the specific local license for each metro: a NYC Department of Buildings Master or Special Electrician license in New York City, and the equivalent from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse or Albany upstate. The same state rules apply in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in New York without re-qualifying. The New York metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Licensed at municipal level: NYC Department of Buildings, Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services, Rochester Electrical Examining Board, City of Syracuse, Albany Electrical Examining Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in New York yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in New York than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianTwo months to find a technician who could run commercial, public and industrial service calls alone - the seniority bar is what made it long.
- HVAC Service TechnicianFifteen years across VRV/VRF, rooftop units and controls integration.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA second seat for the same contractor, filled with a strong diagnostician earlier in his independent career.
Nearby markets competing for New York talent.
The closest metro we cover is Bridgeport, about 55 miles away. New York pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($70,130 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Philadelphia at $58,350. New York is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | – | 2,190 | $70,130 |
| Bridgeport | 53 mi | – | – |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 78 mi | – | – |
| Philadelphia | 81 mi | 580 | $58,350 |
| Scranton | 99 mi | – | – |
| Hartford | 100 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for New York crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into New York in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- JFK Airport Terminal 6 + Terminal 1 redevelopment$13-14B combinedThrough 2030
Massive MEP scope across both terminals. Airport-grade mechanical, electrical, baggage systems. Multi-year crew demand for senior trades.
- LaGuardia Airport rebuild$4-5.3BCompleted January 2025
Now complete - a historical example of the mechanical and finish trades capacity this metro delivers under a project labor agreement, not an active current driver.
- NYC Local Law 97 climate compliance retrofit wave$15-20B across buildings 25k+ sq ft2024-2030 enforcement
Largest commercial HVAC retrofit driver in US history. Building owners must hit carbon caps - driving heat pump installs, control system upgrades, building electrification. Mechanical PMs with retrofit + commissioning experience in extreme demand.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The New York market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in New York.
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 New York.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in New York?
BLS puts the New York median for solar photovoltaic installers at $70,130 a year, 32% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks 3rd of 39 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $47,600 at the 10th percentile against $102,050 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other New York metro we cover pays more for this work (Albany: $49,470).
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in New York?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 15% more of the New York workforce than they do nationally, about 2,190 people.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in New York?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in New York, a $103,990 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $79,020, 24% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $70,130. Relative to national pay, Solar PV Installer is the strongest-paying role here (32% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in New York?
BLS counted 1,876 nonresidential electrical contractors in New York in 2023. Down from 1,961 in 2018, a 4% decline 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 New York for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Philadelphia (81 miles, about 580, $58,350 median), Lancaster (130 miles, about 90, $49,950 median) and Albany (135 miles, about 100, $49,470 median). New York out-pays Philadelphia, Lancaster and Albany, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
New York has one of the deeper pools of solar photovoltaic installers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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