LED & Solar recruiters serving Reno.
BLS counts 75 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 Reno.
BLS counts about 1,630 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Reno metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,490). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Reno: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Reno: 1,490 employed · $72,800 median, 34th-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
Reno: 520 employed · $82,270 median, 22nd-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)
Reno: 2,020 employed · $80,610 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Reno: 140 employed · $59,800 median, 95th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Reno.
BLS publishes no Reno pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Reno earn a median $72,800, 15% over the $63,190 national figure, and 34th of 112 metros. Pay runs $47,420 at the tenth percentile to $102,250 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $59,800 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Reno pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Reno 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) | $72,800 | $47,420–$102,250 | $63,190 | +15% | 1,490 |
| 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) | $82,270 | $50,920–$132,140 | $78,740 | +4% | 520 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,610 | $56,990–$124,600 | $79,920 | +1% | 2,020 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $59,800 | $48,430–$99,990 | $74,090 | −19% | 140 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Reno 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 Reno's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Reno lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 80 business locations to 75 (down 6%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 2%, to about 1,401 people. Average annual pay there went from $74,674 to $98,890 (+32%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 80 | 75 | −6% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 1,432 | 1,401 | −2% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $74,674 | $98,890 | +32% |
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 Reno's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 60 | $67,810 | 0.27 | 294 |
| Reno | – | – | – | 75 |
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 Reno are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Reno metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Nevada.
Nevada has a C-2g Photovoltaics subclassification of the C-2 electrical license for PV cells, batteries and inverters. It does not cover wiring beyond the service panel. The same state rules apply in Las Vegas, so candidates licensed there can work in Reno without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Nevada State Contractors Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Reno talent.
The closest metro we cover is Sacramento, about 110 miles away, with roughly 700 solar photovoltaic installers. BLS does not publish Reno figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: San Francisco has the largest pool within reach, about 710, at a $72,150 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno | – | – | – |
| Sacramento | 111 mi | 700 | $59,930 |
| Stockton | 135 mi | 120 | $59,110 |
| Modesto | 145 mi | 50 | $59,920 |
| San Francisco | 186 mi | 710 | $72,150 |
| San Jose | 189 mi | 280 | $71,630 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Reno crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Reno in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Tesla Gigafactory Nevada expansion$3.6B ($330.25M state abatement approved)9,275 construction jobs estimated through 2027
A 100 GWh 4680 battery cell factory and Tesla's first high-volume Semi factory, adding 4 million sq ft to Tesla's existing 5.4 million sq ft Nevada campus - Tesla has invested $6.2B in Nevada total since 2014.
- Fleet Data Centers (Tahoe Reno Industrial Center)$10B combined construction costsPeak construction employing 1,000-1,500 trades workers
Two campuses - the 200MW South Valley campus and the Peru Ridge project - built by a Tract Capital Management subsidiary.
- Vantage Data Centers Northern Nevada campusUndisclosed (224MW at full build-out)First of four buildings opening Q2 2026
Four planned four-story data center buildings.
These are the 3 projects we track in Reno. The Reno market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Reno.
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 Reno.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Reno?
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 Reno, an $82,270 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $72,800, 12% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,800. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (15% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Reno?
BLS counted 75 nonresidential electrical contractors in Reno in 2023, employing about 1,401 people between them. Down from 80 in 2018, a 6% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 19 people per location. They pay an average of $98,890, 17% above 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 Reno for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Sacramento (111 miles, about 700, $59,930 median), Stockton (135 miles, about 120, $59,110 median) and Modesto (145 miles, about 50, $59,920 median).
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75 nonresidential electrical contractors in Reno are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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