LED & Solar recruiters serving Riverside.
Riverside has 128% more solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, about 790 in the metro. BLS counts 399 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 Riverside.
BLS counts about 9,620 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Riverside metro, the largest group being electricians (about 7,880). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 2.28). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Riverside: 790 employed · $60,050 median, 10th-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Riverside: 7,880 employed · $72,790 median, 35th-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
Riverside: 3,160 employed · $76,900 median, 67th-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)
Riverside: 8,420 employed · $82,710 median, 33rd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Riverside: 950 employed · $77,460 median, 33rd-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Riverside.
Solar photovoltaic installers in Riverside earn a median $60,050, 13% over the $53,140 national figure, and 10th of 39 metros. Pay runs $46,670 at the tenth percentile to $77,440 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $77,460 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | Riverside 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) | $60,050 | $46,670–$77,440 | $53,140 | +13% | 790 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $72,790 | $45,360–$139,430 | $63,190 | +15% | 7,880 |
| 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) | $76,900 | $49,750–$128,940 | $78,740 | −2% | 3,160 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,710 | $54,520–$131,890 | $79,920 | +3% | 8,420 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $77,460 | $65,430–$100,260 | $74,090 | +5% | 950 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Riverside 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 Riverside's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Riverside rose from 397 in 2018 to 399 in 2023, up 1%, behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 15%, to about 7,700 people. Average annual pay there went from $70,197 to $93,187 (+33%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 397 | 399 | +1% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 6,716 | 7,700 | +15% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $70,197 | $93,187 | +33% |
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
Riverside runs 128% more LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Riverside's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Riverside ranks 7th for headcount, 8th for median pay and 7th for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. That puts it among the deepest LED and solar labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,930 | $59,600 | 1.53 | 1,016 |
| Riverside | 790 | $60,050 | 2.28 | 399 |
| San Francisco | 710 | $72,150 | 1.49 | 337 |
| Sacramento | 700 | $59,930 | 3.23 | 217 |
| San Diego | 550 | $61,340 | 1.79 | 251 |
| Bakersfield | 370 | $56,990 | 5.43 | 69 |
| San Jose | 280 | $71,630 | 1.24 | 167 |
| Fresno | 210 | $58,220 | 2.15 | 78 |
| Stockton | 120 | $59,110 | 2.04 | 52 |
| Modesto | 50 | $59,920 | 1.39 | 46 |
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 Riverside, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Riverside metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in California.
California has a solar-specific C-46 Solar Contractor classification for installing, modifying, maintaining and repairing thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems. C-46 holders may not take on other building trades except where needed to finish a solar installation. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Riverside without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
4 LED & solar seats are open in California right now.
Nothing is open for this trade in Riverside this week. These are the live LED & solar searches elsewhere in California - commuting distance for some of them, a relocation conversation for the rest.
- Commercial Solar InstallerApply →
- Retro Commercial Solar EstimatorApply →
- Solar Commercial/Multi-family Crew LeadApply →
- Solar Commercial/Multi-Family Crew MemberApply →
Every open role we are running →
Board last synced November 4, 2026. Roles move fast; /jobs/ is always the current list.
Nearby markets competing for Riverside talent.
The closest metro we cover is Los Angeles, about 50 miles away, with roughly 1,930 solar photovoltaic installers (2.4 times Riverside's 790). Las Vegas pays the most nearby, a $67,810 median, 13% above Riverside. That is the number any Riverside offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Los Angeles has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | – | 790 | $60,050 |
| Los Angeles | 49 mi | 1,930 | $59,600 |
| San Diego | 87 mi | 550 | $61,340 |
| Bakersfield | 135 mi | 370 | $56,990 |
| Las Vegas | 200 mi | 60 | $67,810 |
| Fresno | 235 mi | 210 | $58,220 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Riverside crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Riverside in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- World Logistics Center (Moreno Valley)$25BTargeting ~2030, pending appeals
One of the largest master-planned logistics parks in the US - 40M+ sq ft of distribution/fulfillment. The project has a long history of court-voided permits and restarts since 2015, so any fixed completion date carries real uncertainty. Industrial MEP at massive scale, high-bay lighting, automation power. Multi-year demand for warehouse-experienced trades.
- Data center corridor (Ontario / Jurupa / San Bernardino)Real trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Hyperscalers moving inland for cheaper power and land. Mechanical PMs with cooling specialty + high-voltage electrical crews in heavy demand.
- Inland Empire cold-storage & food-distribution build-outReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
E-commerce grocery + food distribution driving refrigerated warehouse construction - the largest single confirmed transaction is Walmart's $223M cold-storage acquisition. Ammonia/CO2 refrigeration and cold-storage specialty crews in tight supply.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Riverside market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Riverside.
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 Riverside.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in Riverside?
BLS puts the Riverside median for solar photovoltaic installers at $60,050 a year, 13% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks 10th of 39 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,670 and $77,440, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within California, San Francisco pays more, at $72,150.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in Riverside?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 128% more of the Riverside workforce than they do nationally, about 790 people. The 399 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 19 employees per location.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Riverside?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Riverside, an $82,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $77,460, 6% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $60,050. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (15% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Riverside?
BLS counted 399 nonresidential electrical contractors in Riverside in 2023, employing about 7,700 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (397). That averages 19 people per location. They pay an average of $93,187, 10% 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 Riverside for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Los Angeles (49 miles, about 1,930, $59,600 median), San Diego (87 miles, about 550, $61,340 median) and Bakersfield (135 miles, about 370, $56,990 median). Los Angeles has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Riverside out-pays Bakersfield, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Riverside 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.
Schedule a Discovery Call →