LED & Solar recruiters serving Providence.
Solar photovoltaic installers are scarcer in Providence than in most of the country, 24% fewer per job, so the roughly 110 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 183 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 Providence.
BLS counts about 3,890 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Providence metro, the largest group being electricians (about 3,560). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.76). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Providence: 110 employed · $53,700 median, 22nd-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Providence: 3,560 employed · $73,980 median, 32nd-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
Providence: 960 employed · $87,720 median, 10th-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)
Providence: 3,350 employed · $97,560 median, 12th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Providence: 220 employed · $76,000 median, 41st-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Providence.
Solar photovoltaic installers in Providence earn a median $53,700, level with the $53,140 national figure, and 22nd of 39 metros. Pay runs $42,860 at the tenth percentile to $106,610 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $76,000 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | Providence 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) | $53,700 | $42,860–$106,610 | $53,140 | +1% | 110 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $73,980 | $42,760–$102,840 | $63,190 | +17% | 3,560 |
| 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) | $87,720 | $58,330–$130,750 | $78,740 | +11% | 960 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $97,560 | $61,410–$129,860 | $79,920 | +22% | 3,350 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $76,000 | $64,480–$81,970 | $74,090 | +3% | 220 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Providence 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 Providence's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Providence lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 189 business locations to 183 (down 3%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 2,207. Average annual pay there went from $65,648 to $83,846 (+28%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 189 | 183 | −3% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 2,170 | 2,207 | +2% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $65,648 | $83,846 | +28% |
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
Providence runs 24% fewer LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep 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 Providence's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Providence ranks 28th for headcount, 20th for median pay and 29th for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. That makes it one of the thinnest LED and solar labor markets we recruit in.
What this means for hiring:For LED and solar employers in Providence, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Providence metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island offers a limited Renewable Energy Professional (REP) license so non-electricians can do ancillary non-electrical work on renewable energy systems. A full electrical contractor's license already covers REP work. The Providence metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Providence talent.
The closest metro we cover is Worcester, about 35 miles away. Boston pays the most nearby, a $59,400 median, 11% above Providence. That is the number any Providence offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Boston has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | – | 110 | $53,700 |
| Worcester | 36 mi | – | – |
| Boston | 41 mi | 380 | $59,400 |
| Hartford | 66 mi | – | – |
| Bridgeport | 102 mi | – | – |
| Albany | 133 mi | 100 | $49,470 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Providence crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Providence in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Rhode Island State Health LaboratoryState-funded, multi-yearRecently completed / ramping to full occupancy
A 9-story downtown Providence facility combining public-health lab infrastructure with a high-containment BSL-3 lab and flexible space for future biotech tenants. Cleanroom-grade mechanical and electrical work at a scale the region rarely builds.
- Rhode Island Hospital active constructionOngoing2026
Active construction at the Plain Street lot required patient/visitor parking relocation starting May 2026 - the state's largest hospital continuing to build even as the life-sciences sector expands around it.
- FY2027 Economic Development Bond (life-sciences share)~$45M life-sciences-specific (of a $115M total bond question; the remaining ~$70M is unrelated Quonset Business Park industrial-pad funding)Proposed - one of five bond questions on the November 2026 ballot, not yet approved by voters
If approved, would fund industrial facilities infrastructure to support life-sciences sector growth - roads, utilities, and site readiness for future lab and manufacturing tenants. Not yet active spending.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Providence market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Providence.
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 Providence.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in Providence?
BLS puts the Providence median for solar photovoltaic installers at $53,700 a year, about the same as the $53,140 national median. That ranks 22nd of 39 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. The range is unusually wide: $42,860 at the bottom tenth against $106,610 at the top tenth, a 2.5x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in Providence?
Yes. Providence has 24% fewer solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 110 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 183 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 12 employees per location.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Providence?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Providence, a $97,560 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $76,000, 22% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $53,700. Relative to national pay, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (22% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Providence?
BLS counted 183 nonresidential electrical contractors in Providence in 2023, employing about 2,207 people between them. Down from 189 in 2018, a 3% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 12 people per location. They pay about the national average of $84,633. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with Providence for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Boston (41 miles, about 380, $59,400 median), Albany (133 miles, about 100, $49,470 median) and New York (155 miles, about 2,190, $70,130 median). Boston has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Boston pays 11% more, which is where Providence employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With solar photovoltaic installers this scarce in Providence, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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