LED & Solar recruiters serving Richmond.
BLS counts 211 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 Richmond.
BLS counts about 3,810 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Richmond metro, the largest group being electricians (about 3,600). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Richmond: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Richmond: 3,600 employed · $61,350 median, 67th-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
Richmond: 1,080 employed · $77,540 median, 62nd-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)
Richmond: 4,460 employed · $76,630 median, 71st-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Richmond: 210 employed · $70,120 median, 57th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Richmond.
BLS publishes no Richmond pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Richmond earn a median $61,350, level with the $63,190 national figure, and 67th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,070 at the tenth percentile to $80,740 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $70,120 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Richmond pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Richmond 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) | $61,350 | $39,070–$80,740 | $63,190 | −3% | 3,600 |
| 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) | $77,540 | $48,520–$114,270 | $78,740 | −2% | 1,080 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $76,630 | $53,000–$108,220 | $79,920 | −4% | 4,460 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $70,120 | $47,980–$86,170 | $74,090 | −5% | 210 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Richmond 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 Richmond's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Richmond rose from 193 in 2018 to 211 in 2023, up 9%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 3%, to about 3,996 people. Average annual pay there went from $59,705 to $73,339 (+23%), in step with the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 193 | 211 | +9% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 3,874 | 3,996 | +3% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $59,705 | $73,339 | +23% |
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 Richmond's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Median pay | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | $47,930 | 187 |
| Richmond | – | 211 |
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 Richmond have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Richmond metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Virginia.
Virginia's Alternative Energy System Contracting (AES) specialty covers installing alternative energy systems from the customer's meter but excludes electrical work. Electrical work falls under the Electrical Contractors (ELE) classification. The same state rules apply in Virginia Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Richmond without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Richmond talent.
The closest metro we cover is Virginia Beach, about 95 miles away. BLS does not publish Richmond figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Baltimore has the largest pool within reach, about 490, and Virginia Beach pays the most, a $47,930 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | – | – | – |
| Virginia Beach | 95 mi | – | $47,930 |
| Washington, D.C. | 95 mi | – | – |
| Baltimore | 128 mi | 490 | $45,220 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 134 mi | – | – |
| Raleigh | 139 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Richmond crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Richmond in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CleanArc Caroline County campus~$3B (900MW, three buildings, ~1.47M sq ft total -- not the $11B/3.9M figure sometimes cited)Multi-year, broke ground
One of the largest data-center campuses announced along the I-95 corridor stretching toward Richmond - a massive draw on the same regional mechanical and electrical labor pool Richmond-based contractors compete for.
- Google Chesterfield County data centerPart of a $9B Virginia-wide planFirst Richmond-area facility
Google's first Richmond-area data center, in Chesterfield County's Meadowville Technology Park, with two more county sites planned. Direct mechanical and electrical demand inside the metro itself.
- Vantage Data Centers VA4 campus (Stafford County)$2B, ~929,000 sq ftFirst building expected late 2027
Three two-story buildings on 82 acres, further up the I-95 corridor. Part of the broader stretch of hyperscale development pulling data-center talent toward Richmond from Fredericksburg and points north.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Richmond market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Richmond.
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 Richmond.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Richmond?
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 Richmond, a $77,540 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $70,120, 10% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $61,350. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Richmond?
BLS counted 211 nonresidential electrical contractors in Richmond in 2023, employing about 3,996 people between them. Up from 193 in 2018, a 9% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 19 people per location. They pay an average of $73,339, 13% below 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 Richmond for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Virginia Beach (95 miles, $47,930 median), Baltimore (128 miles, about 490, $45,220 median) and Lancaster (183 miles, about 90, $49,950 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
211 nonresidential electrical contractors in Richmond are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →