LED & Solar recruiters serving San Francisco.
San Francisco has 49% more solar photovoltaic installers per job than the country as a whole, about 710 in the metro. BLS counts 337 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 Francisco.
BLS counts about 10,260 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Francisco metro, the largest group being electricians (about 9,060). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.49). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
San Francisco: 710 employed · $72,150 median, highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
San Francisco: 9,060 employed · $92,830 median, 5th-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 Francisco: 3,300 employed · $101,630 median, 2nd-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 Francisco: 9,810 employed · $120,810 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
San Francisco: 490 employed · $96,900 median, 5th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in San Francisco.
Solar photovoltaic installers in San Francisco earn a median $72,150, 36% over the $53,140 national figure, and 1st of 39 metros. Pay runs $55,040 at the tenth percentile to $97,100 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $96,900 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | San Francisco 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) | $72,150 | $55,040–$97,100 | $53,140 | +36% | 710 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $92,830 | $55,360–$182,340 | $63,190 | +47% | 9,060 |
| 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) | $101,630 | $58,910–$167,780 | $78,740 | +29% | 3,300 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $120,810 | $73,860–$166,330 | $79,920 | +51% | 9,810 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $96,900 | $58,880–$147,070 | $74,090 | +31% | 490 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Francisco 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 Francisco's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in San Francisco rose from 320 in 2018 to 337 in 2023, up 5%, close to the 6% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in San Francisco, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 320 | 337 | +5% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 10,108 | – | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $103,399 | – | – |
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 Francisco runs 49% 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 Francisco's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Francisco ranks 8th for headcount, 1st for median pay and 16th 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 Francisco, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, San Francisco 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 Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in San Francisco without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in San Francisco 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 Francisco than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Roofing ShinglerThree weeks to add a safety-conscious shingler to a crew the client keeps building year-round.
- Roofing Project ManagerTwo decades of superintendent and project management experience against a five-year bar - placed in days.
- Commercial Construction ForemanFifteen years of construction with foreman-level crew leadership on both commercial and residential builds.
4 LED & solar seats are open in California right now.
Nothing is open for this trade in San Francisco 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 3, 2026. Roles move fast; /jobs/ is always the current list.
Nearby markets competing for San Francisco talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Jose, about 40 miles away, with roughly 280 solar photovoltaic installers (0.4 times San Francisco's 710). San Francisco pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($72,150 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Fresno at $58,220. San Francisco is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | – | 710 | $72,150 |
| San Jose | 42 mi | 280 | $71,630 |
| Stockton | 63 mi | 120 | $59,110 |
| Sacramento | 75 mi | 700 | $59,930 |
| Modesto | 78 mi | 50 | $59,920 |
| Fresno | 162 mi | 210 | $58,220 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Francisco crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Francisco in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Bay Area data center growthReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Constrained land and power make Bay Area data center work high-value. Mechanical PMs with cooling specialty + high-voltage electrical crews in tight supply.
- Tech campus build-outs & tenant improvements (SF / Silicon Valley edge)Real trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Corporate HQ campuses and downtown TI fit-outs. Fast timelines, high-spec finishes, and the region's high prevailing wage scale drive crew premiums on interiors trades.
- BART / regional transit modernizationReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Transit infrastructure and station rebuilds. Seismic-rated civil, structural, and systems electrical work across a multi-year public pipeline.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The San Francisco market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in San Francisco.
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 Francisco.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in San Francisco?
BLS puts the San Francisco median for solar photovoltaic installers at $72,150 a year, 36% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks first of 39 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $55,040 and $97,100, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other California metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire solar photovoltaic installers in San Francisco?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 49% more of the San Francisco workforce than they do nationally, about 710 people.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in San Francisco?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in San Francisco, a $120,810 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $96,900, 20% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $72,150. Relative to national pay, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (51% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in San Francisco?
BLS counted 337 nonresidential electrical contractors in San Francisco in 2023. Up from 320 in 2018, a 5% increase against 6% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counts commercial solar and LED retrofit firms under nonresidential electrical contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with San Francisco for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Jose (42 miles, about 280, $71,630 median), Stockton (63 miles, about 120, $59,110 median) and Sacramento (75 miles, about 700, $59,930 median). San Francisco out-pays Stockton and Sacramento, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
San Francisco 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 →