LED & Solar recruiters serving San Jose.
Solar photovoltaic installers in San Jose earn a $71,630 median, 35% above the national figure, and about 280 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 167 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 Jose.
BLS counts about 6,360 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Jose metro, the largest group being electricians (about 5,480). Relative to the size of the local economy, solar photovoltaic installers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.24). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
San Jose: 280 employed · $71,630 median, 2nd-highest of 39 metros
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
San Jose: 5,480 employed · $91,030 median, 6th-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 Jose: 1,680 employed · $97,580 median, 3rd-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 Jose: 4,770 employed · $129,700 median, highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
San Jose: 600 employed · $122,860 median, highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in San Jose.
Solar photovoltaic installers in San Jose earn a median $71,630, 35% over the $53,140 national figure, and 2nd of 39 metros. Pay runs $52,340 at the tenth percentile to $99,420 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $122,860 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | San Jose 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) | $71,630 | $52,340–$99,420 | $53,140 | +35% | 280 |
| Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician · Solar ElectricianElectricians (47-2111) | $91,030 | $54,290–$173,340 | $63,190 | +44% | 5,480 |
| 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) | $97,580 | $61,550–$170,550 | $78,740 | +24% | 1,680 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $129,700 | $76,800–$196,070 | $79,920 | +62% | 4,770 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $122,860 | $80,410–$150,830 | $74,090 | +66% | 600 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Jose 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 Jose's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
San Jose lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 172 business locations to 167 (down 3%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in San Jose, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 172 | 167 | −3% |
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 Jose runs 24% more LED and solar workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Jose's LED and solar market compares
Among the 37 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Jose ranks 17th for headcount, 2nd for median pay and 21st 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 Jose, 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 Jose 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, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in San Jose without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
2 LED & solar seats are open in California right now.
Nothing is open for this trade in San Jose this week. These are the live LED & solar searches elsewhere in California - commuting distance for some of them, a relocation conversation for the rest.
Every open role we are running →
Board last synced October 14, 2026. Roles move fast; /jobs/ is always the current list.
Nearby markets competing for San Jose talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Francisco, about 40 miles away, with roughly 710 solar photovoltaic installers (2.5 times San Jose's 280). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $58,220 in Fresno to $72,150 in San Francisco, against $71,630 here. San Francisco has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | – | 280 | $71,630 |
| San Francisco | 42 mi | 710 | $72,150 |
| Modesto | 53 mi | 50 | $59,920 |
| Stockton | 54 mi | 120 | $59,110 |
| Sacramento | 89 mi | 700 | $59,930 |
| Fresno | 124 mi | 210 | $58,220 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Jose crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Jose in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- PG&E data-center pipeline - San Jose1,630 MW requested across 11 projectsRolling, multi-year
San Jose is positioning itself as the Bay Area's data-center capital, driven by AI infrastructure demand. Eleven separate projects have requested a combined 1,630 megawatts of capacity from PG&E - more than three times the number of housing units in the city, a signal of the sheer scale of mechanical and electrical buildout underway.
- Prologis STEM Park (North San Jose)~$25B, 396MW data center + manufacturing campusApproved Nov 2025
Prologis - traditionally a logistics/industrial developer - was selected by San Jose's city council to build a 159-acre data center and advanced manufacturing campus on city-owned land near Zanker Road and Highway 237. Evidence the AI-driven data-center boom is pulling in developers beyond the traditional tech giants.
These are the 2 projects we track in San Jose. The San Jose market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in San Jose.
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 Jose.
What do solar photovoltaic installers earn in San Jose?
BLS puts the San Jose median for solar photovoltaic installers at $71,630 a year, 35% above the $53,140 national median. That ranks 2nd of 39 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $52,340 and $99,420, a 1.9x 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 Jose?
Not by national standards. Solar photovoltaic installers make up 24% more of the San Jose workforce than they do nationally, about 280 people.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in San Jose?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in San Jose, a $129,700 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $122,860, 5% below it. Solar PV Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $71,630. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (66% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in San Jose?
BLS counted 167 nonresidential electrical contractors in San Jose in 2023. Down from 172 in 2018, a 3% decline 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 Jose for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Francisco (42 miles, about 710, $72,150 median), Modesto (53 miles, about 50, $59,920 median) and Stockton (54 miles, about 120, $59,110 median). San Francisco has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. San Jose out-pays Modesto and Stockton, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
San Jose 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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