LED & Solar recruiters serving Winston-Salem.
BLS counts 57 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 Winston-Salem.
BLS counts about 1,200 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Winston-Salem metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,120). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the LED & Solar hub.
Solar PV Installer
Winston-Salem: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
NABCEP-Certified Solar Technician
Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician
Winston-Salem: 1,120 employed · $56,100 median, 100th-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
Winston-Salem: 540 employed · $71,220 median, 99th-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)
Winston-Salem: 1,500 employed · $74,360 median, 93rd-highest of 112 metros
Low-Voltage/Controls Technician
Winston-Salem: 80 employed · $77,900 median, 30th-highest of 107 metros
What LED & Solar roles earn in Winston-Salem.
BLS publishes no Winston-Salem pay for solar photovoltaic installers; nationally the median is $53,140. Electricians in Winston-Salem earn a median $56,100, 11% under the $63,190 national figure, and 100th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,550 at the tenth percentile to $72,350 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $77,900 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Winston-Salem pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Winston-Salem 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) | $56,100 | $38,550–$72,350 | $63,190 | −11% | 1,120 |
| 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) | $71,220 | $36,300–$106,740 | $78,740 | −10% | 540 |
| Electrical Foreman (LED/Solar specialty)First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $74,360 | $49,940–$104,740 | $79,920 | −7% | 1,500 |
| Low-Voltage/Controls TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $77,900 | $62,670–$97,680 | $74,090 | +5% | 80 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem's LED & solar market has changed since 2018.
Winston-Salem lost nonresidential electrical contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 61 business locations to 57 (down 7%), behind the 6% growth nationally.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: business locations | 61 | 57 | −7% |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: employment | – | 963 | – |
| Nonresidential electrical contractors: average annual pay | – | $61,832 | – |
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 Winston-Salem's LED and solar market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 150 | $45,970 | 0.56 | 345 |
| Raleigh | – | – | – | 183 |
| Greensboro | – | – | – | 75 |
| Winston-Salem | – | – | – | 57 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | – | – | – | 62 |
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 Winston-Salem are adding headcount, which means more employers competing for the same people.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Winston-Salem metro. Employers are counted by business location.
LED & Solar licensing in North Carolina.
A solar PV installation of any value requires an electrical contractor license. Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited classifications apply by project cost (up to $60,000, up to $150,000, and above $150,000). The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham-Chapel Hill, so candidates licensed there can work in Winston-Salem without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Winston-Salem talent.
The closest metro we cover is Greensboro, about 25 miles away. BLS does not publish Winston-Salem figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Charlotte has the largest pool within reach, about 150, at a $45,970 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston-Salem | – | – | – |
| Greensboro | 25 mi | – | – |
| Charlotte | 69 mi | 150 | $45,970 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 75 mi | – | – |
| Raleigh | 93 mi | – | – |
| Greenville | 149 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Winston-Salem crews.
Not LED & solar work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Winston-Salem in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Freischlag Tower~$426M campus expansion (the $619.1M bond issuance also covered refinancing of other system debt, not solely this tower)Opened July 2025
A new care tower on the main Ardmore campus - one of the largest healthcare capital projects in the region's history.
- Innovation Quarter Phase IIUndisclosed (28 acres, 2.5M+ sq ft planned)Multi-year buildout
Eight new buildings between downtown Winston-Salem and U.S. 52, combining retail, scientific/biotech, healthcare, and residential space.
- Downtown amphitheater~$25MGroundbreaking July 2026
A permanent, 5,000-capacity venue - grown from an initial ~$10M modular concept - anchoring downtown's entertainment district.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Winston-Salem market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for LED & solar, and what kills offers in Winston-Salem.
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 Winston-Salem.
Which LED & solar roles pay the most in Winston-Salem?
Of the roles we recruit for, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician pays the most in Winston-Salem, a $77,900 median. Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician is the lowest-paid field role at $56,100. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage/Controls Technician is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Commercial LED Retrofit Electrician trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential electrical contractors operate in Winston-Salem?
BLS counted 57 nonresidential electrical contractors in Winston-Salem in 2023, employing about 963 people between them. Down from 61 in 2018, a 7% decline against 6% growth nationally. That averages 17 people per location. They pay an average of $61,832, 27% 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 Winston-Salem for solar photovoltaic installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Charlotte (69 miles, about 150, $45,970 median), Virginia Beach (243 miles, $47,930 median) and Baltimore (297 miles, about 490, $45,220 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
57 nonresidential electrical contractors in Winston-Salem are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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