LED & Solar recruiters serving Washington, D.C..
BLS counts 593 business locations of nonresidential electrical contractors across the metro. We recruit LED & Solar talent in Washington, D.C. from a standing, credential-verified pipeline. 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 Washington, D.C..
BLS counts about 17,390 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Washington, D.C. metro, the largest group being electricians (about 16,580). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Washington, D.C.: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Washington, D.C.: 16,580 employed · $75,930 median, 26th-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
Washington, D.C.: 3,780 employed · $89,330 median, 9th-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)
Washington, D.C.: 14,660 employed · $83,540 median, 30th-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Washington, D.C.: 810 employed · $81,690 median, 15th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Washington, D.C..
BLS publishes no Washington, D.C. pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Washington, D.C. earn a median $75,930, 20% over the $63,190 national figure, and 26th of 112 metros. Pay runs $44,690 at the tenth percentile to $121,570 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $81,690 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Washington, D.C. pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Washington, D.C. 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) | $75,930 | $44,690–$121,570 | $63,190 | +20% | 16,580 |
| 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) | $89,330 | $53,890–$142,310 | $78,740 | +13% | 3,780 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $83,540 | $60,720–$129,260 | $79,920 | +5% | 14,660 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $81,690 | $50,280–$109,740 | $74,090 | +10% | 810 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.'s LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential electrical contractors in Washington, D.C. rose from 589 in 2018 to 593 in 2023, up 1%, behind the 6% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 17%, to about 18,350 people. Average annual pay there went from $79,200 to $91,937 (+16%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 589 | 593 | +1% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | 15,727 | 18,350 | +17% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | $79,200 | $91,937 | +16% |
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 Washington, D.C.'s LED and solar market compares
What this means for hiring:Local LED and solar employers in Washington, D.C. 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, Washington, D.C. metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in District of Columbia.
The District licenses electricians through its Board of Industrial Trades, which also licenses plumbers, HVAC mechanics and other trades. The Washington, D.C. metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an LED & solar search in Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Dispatcher / Service CoordinatorA coordinator used to 80-100 calls a day and 20-30 technicians, placed in twelve days.
- Commercial HVAC TechnicianRooftop units, VAV boxes, air handlers and water source heat pumps - covered in twelve days.
- IT TechnicianEarly-career IT talent with a fresh degree, placed into a technician seat with room to grow.
Nearby markets competing for Washington, D.C. talent.
The closest metro we cover is Baltimore, about 35 miles away, with roughly 490 solar photovoltaic installers. BLS does not publish Washington, D.C. figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Philadelphia has the largest pool within reach, about 580, at a $58,350 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | – | – | – |
| Baltimore | 36 mi | 490 | $45,220 |
| Lancaster | 88 mi | 90 | $49,950 |
| Richmond | 95 mi | – | – |
| Harrisburg | 96 mi | – | – |
| Philadelphia | 124 mi | 580 | $58,350 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Washington, D.C. crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Washington, D.C. in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Northern VA data center expansion (Loudoun + Prince William)$10B+ rollingOngoing through 2030
Northern Virginia is the largest US data center market by far. Adjacent to DC MSA boundary but pulls trades from the entire Capital region.
- Federal building modernization (GSA pipeline)scale not independently verified2024-2030
GSA building portfolio modernization - HVAC, electrical, security infrastructure upgrades. Federal contractor procurement rules apply.
- Inova Health System's Franconia-Springfield Hospital expansion$2.5B (Inova only, not a 3-system aggregate)Through 2028
Multi-system hospital expansion. Hospital-grade mechanical + medical gas in tight supply.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Washington, D.C. market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Washington, D.C..
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 Washington, D.C..
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Washington, D.C.?
Of the roles we recruit for, 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 pays the most in Washington, D.C., an $89,330 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage/Controls Technician at $81,690, 9% below it. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $75,930. Relative to national pay, Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the strongest-paying role here (20% above).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Washington, D.C.?
BLS counted 593 nonresidential electrical contractors in Washington, D.C. in 2023, employing about 18,350 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (589). That averages 31 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay an average of $91,937, 9% 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 Washington, D.C. for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Baltimore (36 miles, about 490, $45,220 median), Lancaster (88 miles, about 90, $49,950 median) and Philadelphia (124 miles, about 580, $58,350 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
593 nonresidential electrical contractors in Washington, D.C. are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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