LED & Solar recruiters serving Tucson.
BLS counts 70 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 Tucson.
BLS counts about 1,490 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Tucson metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,340). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Tucson: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Tucson: 1,340 employed · $59,480 median, 77th-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
Tucson: 630 employed · $73,590 median, 84th-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)
Tucson: 1,900 employed · $71,480 median, 101st-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Tucson: 150 employed · $78,190 median, 28th-highest of 107 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Charlotte, NC too.
What LED & Solar roles earn in Tucson.
BLS publishes no Tucson pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Tucson earn a median $59,480, 6% under the $63,190 national figure, and 77th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,260 at the tenth percentile to $92,930 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $78,190 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Tucson pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Tucson 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) | $59,480 | $45,260–$92,930 | $63,190 | −6% | 1,340 |
| 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) | $73,590 | $46,610–$122,640 | $78,740 | −7% | 630 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $71,480 | $49,990–$98,080 | $79,920 | −11% | 1,900 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $78,190 | $62,570–$102,040 | $74,090 | +6% | 150 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tucson 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 Tucson's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Tucson rose from 60 in 2018 to 70 in 2023, up 17%, ahead of the 6% national rise. Headcount at those firms went down 14%, to about 693 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $51,107 to $59,569 (+17%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 60 | 70 | +17% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 808 | 693 | −14% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $51,107 | $59,569 | +17% |
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 Tucson's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 1,000 | $51,200 | 2.09 | 580 |
| Tucson | – | – | – | 70 |
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 Tucson have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Tucson metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in Arizona.
Electrical contracting is licensed under the C-11 (commercial), R-11 (residential) and CR-11 (dual) classifications. The classifications labeled 'including solar' are plumbing, boiler and HVAC trades, and the list has no separate solar PV classification. The same state rules apply in Phoenix, so candidates licensed there can work in Tucson without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Tucson talent.
The closest metro we cover is Phoenix, about 110 miles away, with roughly 1,000 solar photovoltaic installers. BLS does not publish Tucson figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Phoenix has the largest pool within reach, about 1,000, at a $51,200 median.
What else is competing for Tucson crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Tucson in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Tucson Electric Power solar farm$150M, 100MWConstruction 18-24 months, full operations expected late 2026
A utility-scale solar facility sized to power roughly 25,000 homes, including grid-interconnection upgrades. Hundreds of construction jobs during the build phase, concentrated in electrical and heavy-civil trades.
This is the only project we track in Tucson. The Tucson market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Tucson.
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 Tucson.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Tucson?
Of the roles we recruit for, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician pays the most in Tucson, a $78,190 median. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,480. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (6% above). Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty) trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Tucson?
BLS counted 70 nonresidential electrical contractors in Tucson in 2023, employing about 693 people between them. Up from 60 in 2018, a 17% increase against 6% growth nationally. That averages 9.9 people per location. They pay an average of $59,569, 30% 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 Tucson for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Phoenix (108 miles, about 1,000, $51,200 median).
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70 nonresidential electrical contractors in Tucson are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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