LED & Solar recruiters serving San Diego.
San Diego has 79% more solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, about 550 in the metro. BLS counts 251 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 Diego.
BLS counts about 9,300 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Diego metro, the largest group being electricians (about 8,060). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.79). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
San Diego: 550 employed · $61,340 median, 9th-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
San Diego: 8,060 employed · $76,160 median, 25th-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 Diego: 2,740 employed · $87,170 median, 11th-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 Diego: 7,000 employed · $95,850 median, 15th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
San Diego: 690 employed · $92,390 median, 7th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in San Diego.
Solar photovoltaic installers in San Diego earn a median $61,340, 15% over the $53,140 national figure, and 9th of 39 metros. Pay runs $47,590 at the tenth percentile to $80,650 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $92,390 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | San Diego 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) | $61,340 | $47,590–$80,650 | $53,140 | +15% | 550 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $76,160 | $47,890–$126,260 | $63,190 | +21% | 8,060 |
| 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) | $87,170 | $55,610–$151,140 | $78,740 | +11% | 2,740 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $95,850 | $60,230–$147,850 | $79,920 | +20% | 7,000 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $92,390 | $58,510–$128,040 | $74,090 | +25% | 690 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Diego 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 Diego's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
San Diego lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 255 business locations to 251 (down 2%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 19%, to about 7,858 people, so fewer firms are employing more people each. Average annual pay there went from $76,349 to $94,678 (+24%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 255 | 251 | −2% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 6,583 | 7,858 | +19% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $76,349 | $94,678 | +24% |
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
San Diego runs 79% 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 San Diego's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Diego ranks 11th for headcount, 7th for median pay and 14th for concentration for solar photovoltaic installers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
| 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 San Diego, 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, San Diego 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, Riverside, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego talent.
The closest metro we cover is Riverside, about 85 miles away, with roughly 790 solar photovoltaic installers (1.4 times San Diego's 550). Las Vegas pays the most nearby, a $67,810 median, 11% above San Diego. That is the number any San Diego 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | – | 550 | $61,340 |
| Riverside | 87 mi | 790 | $60,050 |
| Los Angeles | 111 mi | 1,930 | $59,600 |
| Bakersfield | 212 mi | 370 | $56,990 |
| Las Vegas | 265 mi | 60 | $67,810 |
| Phoenix | 299 mi | 1,000 | $51,200 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Diego crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Diego in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- San Diego International Airport New Terminal 1$3.8B total programPhase 1A open (Sept 2025); Phase 1B through 2028
Largest public works project in San Diego history. Phase 1A (19 gates, $2.6B) is already open; Phase 1B construction is underway to add 11 more gates by 2028. Airport-grade MEP, central utility plant, apron work. Multi-year demand for airport-experienced senior trades.
- UC San Diego campus + research expansion$2.5B+ programPhased through 2030
Ongoing university build-out - research labs, medical, student housing. High-spec lab/cleanroom MEP and institutional construction pipeline.
- Research Center at Torrey Pines biotech campuses$1B+ rollingOngoing
New life-sciences campus construction and lab conversions. Long-duration demand for cleanroom-experienced MEP and controls specialists.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The San Diego market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in San Diego.
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 Diego.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in San Diego?
BLS puts the San Diego median for solar photovoltaic installers at $61,340 a year, 15% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks 9th of 39 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $47,590 and $80,650, 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 San Diego?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 79% more of the San Diego workforce than they do nationally, about 550 people. The 251 nonresidential electrical contractors here average about 31 employees per location, which means a handful of large operators set the pace on pay.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in San Diego?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in San Diego, a $95,850 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $92,390, 4% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $61,340. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (25% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in San Diego?
BLS counted 251 nonresidential electrical contractors in San Diego in 2023, employing about 7,858 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (255). That averages 31 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay an average of $94,678, 12% 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 San Diego for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Riverside (87 miles, about 790, $60,050 median), Los Angeles (111 miles, about 1,930, $59,600 median) and Bakersfield (212 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. San Diego out-pays Bakersfield, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
San Diego 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.
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