LED & Solar recruiters serving San Antonio.
BLS counts 259 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 San Antonio.
BLS counts about 7,490 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Antonio metro, the largest group being electricians (about 6,660). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
San Antonio: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
San Antonio: 6,660 employed · $57,010 median, 97th-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
San Antonio: 1,690 employed · $74,830 median, 80th-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)
San Antonio: 6,170 employed · $73,520 median, 97th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
San Antonio: 830 employed · $70,470 median, 55th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in San Antonio.
BLS publishes no San Antonio pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in San Antonio earn a median $57,010, 10% under the $63,190 national figure, and 97th of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,460 at the tenth percentile to $75,670 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $70,470 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds San Antonio pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | San Antonio 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) | $57,010 | $37,460–$75,670 | $63,190 | −10% | 6,660 |
| 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) | $74,830 | $45,340–$129,840 | $78,740 | −5% | 1,690 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $73,520 | $47,850–$104,110 | $79,920 | −8% | 6,170 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $70,470 | $46,240–$98,600 | $74,090 | −5% | 830 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Antonio 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 San Antonio's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in San Antonio rose from 241 in 2018 to 259 in 2023, up 7%, close to the 6% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 36%, to about 6,473 people. Average annual pay there went from $54,904 to $69,029 (+26%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 241 | 259 | +7% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 4,766 | 6,473 | +36% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $54,904 | $69,029 | +26% |
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 San Antonio's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 1,620 | $47,060 | 2.45 | 709 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 1,570 | $48,350 | 1.93 | 859 |
| Austin | 830 | $50,580 | 3.18 | 315 |
| San Antonio | – | – | – | 259 |
| McAllen | – | – | – | 42 |
| El Paso | – | – | – | 74 |
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 San Antonio are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, San Antonio metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Texas.
Texas licenses electricians statewide, and non-exempt electrical work, including installing solar panels, must be done by licensed individuals working through a licensed electrical contractor. Companies offering turnkey solar installation must hold a TDLR electrical contractor license. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, McAllen and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in San Antonio without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in San Antonio yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in San Antonio than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Estimator / Project ManagerShe grew her own asphalt repair business from $600K to $2.5 million before taking this seat.
- Estimator / Project ManagerAn 80% win rate on bids from $100,000 to $2 million, brought onto the same bid desk.
Nearby markets competing for San Antonio talent.
The closest metro we cover is Austin, about 75 miles away, with roughly 830 solar photovoltaic installers. BLS does not publish San Antonio figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Houston has the largest pool within reach, about 1,620, and Austin pays the most, a $50,580 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | – | – | – |
| Austin | 74 mi | 830 | $50,580 |
| Houston | 190 mi | 1,620 | $47,060 |
| McAllen | 223 mi | – | – |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 253 mi | 1,570 | $48,350 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Antonio crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Antonio in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CPS Energy grid & generation programMulti-year capital planOngoing
Municipal utility generation, substation, and grid-hardening work pulls high-voltage electricians and heavy industrial trades from the regional pool.
- Microsoft data center campuses (West San Antonio)Multi-billion, multi-phaseRolling through 2028+
Hyperscale build-out on the far West Side is the single biggest force in the market. Power-systems electricians, controls technicians, and mechanical PMs are in extreme demand.
- Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (Tundra) + supplier expansions$500M+ recent reinvestmentOngoing
South Side truck plant and its on-site supplier park keep industrial mechanical, electrical, and controls trades tight across the region.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The San Antonio market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in San Antonio.
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 San Antonio.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in San Antonio?
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 San Antonio, a $74,830 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $70,470, 6% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $57,010. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician trails national pay the most (10% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in San Antonio?
BLS counted 259 nonresidential electrical contractors in San Antonio in 2023, employing about 6,473 people between them. Up from 241 in 2018, a 7% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 25 people per location. They pay an average of $69,029, 18% 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 San Antonio for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Austin (74 miles, about 830, $50,580 median), Houston (190 miles, about 1,620, $47,060 median) and Dallas-Fort Worth (253 miles, about 1,570, $48,350 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
259 nonresidential electrical contractors in San Antonio are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →