LED & Solar recruiters serving Syracuse.
BLS counts 63 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 Syracuse.
BLS counts about 1,510 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Syracuse metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,160). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Syracuse: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Syracuse: 1,160 employed · $77,110 median, 21st-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
Syracuse: 420 employed · $77,970 median, 59th-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)
Syracuse: 1,060 employed · $81,230 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Syracuse: 350 employed · $78,170 median, 29th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Syracuse.
BLS publishes no Syracuse pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Syracuse earn a median $77,110, 22% over the $63,190 national figure, and 21st of 112 metros. Pay runs $46,080 at the tenth percentile to $117,310 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $78,170 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Syracuse pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Syracuse 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) | $77,110 | $46,080–$117,310 | $63,190 | +22% | 1,160 |
| 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) | $77,970 | $52,370–$122,410 | $78,740 | −1% | 420 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $81,230 | $61,410–$126,730 | $79,920 | +2% | 1,060 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $78,170 | $53,870–$97,680 | $74,090 | +6% | 350 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Syracuse 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 Syracuse's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Syracuse lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 66 business locations to 63 (down 5%), behind the 6% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 1,173. Average annual pay there went from $67,031 to $91,397 (+36%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 66 | 63 | −5% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 1,171 | 1,173 | +0% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $67,031 | $91,397 | +36% |
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 Syracuse'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.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Syracuse 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, Rochester and Albany, so candidates licensed there can work in Syracuse 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 Syracuse talent.
The closest metro we cover is Rochester, about 75 miles away. BLS does not publish Syracuse 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | – | – | – |
| Rochester | 74 mi | – | – |
| Scranton | 116 mi | – | – |
| Albany | 124 mi | 100 | $49,470 |
| Buffalo | 139 mi | – | – |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 172 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Syracuse crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Syracuse in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Upstate University Hospital annex$450MDesign phase; construction spanning several years
A new emergency department, burn unit, ICU, and surgery suite, potentially requiring demolition of up to four existing campus buildings.
- Micron semiconductor fabrication complex$100B (plus $6.1B in federal funding)Broke ground early 2026, now in full vertical construction
The largest private investment in New York State's history - four fabs planned across a 1,300-acre site in Clay, NY, up to 9,000 direct jobs and up to 40,000 additional supply-chain/construction jobs.
These are the 2 projects we track in Syracuse. The Syracuse market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Syracuse.
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 Syracuse.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Syracuse?
Of the roles we recruit for, Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) pays the most in Syracuse, an $81,230 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $78,170, 4% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $77,110. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (22% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Syracuse?
BLS counted 63 nonresidential electrical contractors in Syracuse in 2023, employing about 1,173 people between them. Down from 66 in 2018, a 5% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 19 people per location. They pay an average of $91,397, 8% 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 Syracuse for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Albany (124 miles, about 100, $49,470 median), New York (195 miles, about 2,190, $70,130 median) and Lancaster (208 miles, about 90, $49,950 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
63 nonresidential electrical contractors in Syracuse are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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