LED & Solar recruiters serving Rochester.
BLS counts 90 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 Rochester.
BLS counts about 2,700 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Rochester metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,540). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Rochester: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Rochester: 2,540 employed · $77,310 median, 19th-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
Rochester: 770 employed · $78,890 median, 47th-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)
Rochester: 2,080 employed · $81,380 median, 40th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Rochester: 160 employed · $66,260 median, 66th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Rochester.
BLS publishes no Rochester pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Rochester earn a median $77,310, 22% over the $63,190 national figure, and 19th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,410 at the tenth percentile to $107,910 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $66,260 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Rochester pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Rochester 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) | $77,310 | $45,410–$107,910 | $63,190 | +22% | 2,540 |
| 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) | $78,890 | $50,750–$126,240 | $78,740 | 0% | 770 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $81,380 | $59,560–$123,430 | $79,920 | +2% | 2,080 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $66,260 | $48,800–$97,500 | $74,090 | −11% | 160 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Rochester 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 Rochester's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Rochester lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 94 business locations to 90 (down 4%), behind the 6% growth nationally.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 94 | 90 | −4% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | – | 2,451 | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | – | $102,747 | – |
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 Rochester's LED and solar market compares
| 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:Local LED and solar employers in Rochester are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Rochester 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 New York, Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Rochester without re-qualifying.
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.
Nearby markets competing for Rochester talent.
The closest metro we cover is Buffalo, about 65 miles away. BLS does not publish Rochester figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Albany has the largest pool within reach, about 100, at a $49,470 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | – | – | – |
| Buffalo | 66 mi | – | – |
| Syracuse | 74 mi | – | – |
| Scranton | 157 mi | – | – |
| Albany | 198 mi | 100 | $49,470 |
| Harrisburg | 203 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Rochester crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Rochester in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- University of Rochester Institute of Optics research complex$200MGroundbreaking 2026
A major research facility anchoring the region's optics/photonics talent pipeline - lab-grade mechanical and electrical construction distinct from manufacturing-floor work.
- QED Technologies expansion$18.7MRibbon-cut August 5, 2026
Added up to 20,000 sq ft to the University Avenue facility for a new R&D center and expanded precision optics fabrication capacity.
- Sydor Optics manufacturing expansion$32M+New 100,000 sq ft facility, up to 36 new jobs
A new photonics manufacturing facility to accommodate continued growth - one of the largest single optics-manufacturing capital projects in the region's history.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Rochester market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Rochester.
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 Rochester.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Rochester?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Rochester, an $81,380 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician at $77,310, 5% below it. Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $66,260. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (22% above). Low-Voltage/Controls Technician trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Rochester?
BLS counted 90 nonresidential electrical contractors in Rochester in 2023, employing about 2,451 people between them. Down from 94 in 2018, a 4% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 27 people per location. They pay an average of $102,747, 21% 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 Rochester for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Albany (198 miles, about 100, $49,470 median), Lancaster (226 miles, about 90, $49,950 median) and New York (251 miles, about 2,190, $70,130 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
90 nonresidential electrical contractors in Rochester are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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