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Best states for a solar engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like solar engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for solar engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of solar engineers in America is $111,000.
We figured that the best places for solar engineer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Washington is the best state, and Bellingham is the city with the highest pay for solar engineers.
10 best states for solar engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total solar engineer jobs: 578 Average annual salary: $99,734 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
2. California
Total solar engineer jobs: 2,807 Average annual salary: $99,697 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
3. New Mexico
Total solar engineer jobs: 121 Average annual salary: $95,660 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1
4. Virginia
Total solar engineer jobs: 907 Average annual salary: $91,218 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
5. Vermont
Total solar engineer jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $87,421 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
6. Maryland
Total solar engineer jobs: 589 Average annual salary: $90,217 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
7. Florida
Total solar engineer jobs: 947 Average annual salary: $88,275 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
8. New Hampshire
Total solar engineer jobs: 96 Average annual salary: $88,083 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
9. District of Columbia
Total solar engineer jobs: 230 Average annual salary: $92,592 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 2.22
10. Delaware
Total solar engineer jobs: 97 Average annual salary: $84,971 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
Solar engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a solar engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a solar engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $99,734 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 578 |
| 2 | California | $99,697 | $66,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,807 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $95,660 | $62,000 | 2,088,070 | 121 |
| 4 | Virginia | $91,218 | $60,000 | 8,470,020 | 907 |
| 5 | Vermont | $87,421 | $56,000 | 623,657 | 49 |
| 6 | Maryland | $90,217 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 589 |
| 7 | Florida | $88,275 | $58,000 | 20,984,400 | 947 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $88,083 | $57,000 | 1,342,795 | 96 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $92,592 | $61,000 | 693,972 | 230 |
| 10 | Delaware | $84,971 | $56,000 | 961,939 | 97 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $85,468 | $55,000 | 6,859,819 | 805 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $86,945 | $58,000 | 10,273,419 | 448 |
| 13 | Iowa | $83,734 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 189 |
| 14 | Alabama | $80,902 | $53,000 | 4,874,747 | 290 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $88,748 | $58,000 | 4,684,333 | 100 |
| 16 | Texas | $83,130 | $54,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,135 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $87,936 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 379 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $81,778 | $53,000 | 3,588,184 | 273 |
| 19 | Alaska | $86,241 | $64,000 | 739,795 | 34 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $83,008 | $55,000 | 6,715,984 | 170 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $82,118 | $54,000 | 3,930,864 | 109 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $81,326 | $52,000 | 5,576,606 | 328 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $84,625 | $65,000 | 1,427,538 | 68 |
| 24 | Missouri | $78,653 | $52,000 | 6,113,532 | 309 |
| 25 | New York | $82,937 | $54,000 | 19,849,399 | 730 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $78,033 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 36 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,922 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 64 |
| 28 | Maine | $75,333 | $48,000 | 1,335,907 | 81 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $74,835 | $48,000 | 5,795,483 | 264 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $71,897 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 38 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $78,343 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 42 |
| 32 | Michigan | $71,539 | $46,000 | 9,962,311 | 486 |
| 33 | Georgia | $74,952 | $50,000 | 10,429,379 | 515 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $74,531 | $48,000 | 869,666 | 31 |
| 35 | Kansas | $73,425 | $48,000 | 2,913,123 | 143 |
| 36 | Illinois | $75,301 | $49,000 | 12,802,023 | 644 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $73,672 | $49,000 | 4,454,189 | 108 |
| 38 | Nevada | $71,878 | $47,000 | 2,998,039 | 118 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $72,517 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 106 |
| 40 | Oregon | $71,881 | $47,000 | 4,142,776 | 300 |
| 41 | Arizona | $67,998 | $44,000 | 7,016,270 | 554 |
| 42 | Colorado | $67,922 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 522 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $71,280 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 435 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $69,581 | $46,000 | 1,815,857 | 37 |
| 45 | Utah | $60,938 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 243 |
| 46 | Ohio | $68,088 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 433 |
| 47 | Indiana | $68,755 | $45,000 | 6,666,818 | 271 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $68,915 | $45,000 | 3,004,279 | 78 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $70,302 | $46,000 | 2,984,100 | 60 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $68,778 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 159 |
| 51 | Montana | $62,076 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 44 |
Highest paying states for solar engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Solar Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $99,734 |
| 2 | California | $99,697 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $95,660 |
| 4 | Virginia | $91,218 |
| 5 | Vermont | $87,421 |
| 6 | Maryland | $90,217 |
| 7 | Florida | $88,275 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $88,083 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $92,592 |
| 10 | Delaware | $84,971 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $85,468 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $86,945 |
| 13 | Iowa | $83,734 |
| 14 | Alabama | $80,902 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $88,748 |
| 16 | Texas | $83,130 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $87,936 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $81,778 |
| 19 | Alaska | $86,241 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $83,008 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $82,118 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $81,326 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $84,625 |
| 24 | Missouri | $78,653 |
| 25 | New York | $82,937 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $78,033 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,922 |
| 28 | Maine | $75,333 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $74,835 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $71,897 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $78,343 |
| 32 | Michigan | $71,539 |
| 33 | Georgia | $74,952 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $74,531 |
| 35 | Kansas | $73,425 |
| 36 | Illinois | $75,301 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $73,672 |
| 38 | Nevada | $71,878 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $72,517 |
| 40 | Oregon | $71,881 |
| 41 | Arizona | $67,998 |
| 42 | Colorado | $67,922 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $71,280 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $69,581 |
| 45 | Utah | $60,938 |
| 46 | Ohio | $68,088 |
| 47 | Indiana | $68,755 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $68,915 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $70,302 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $68,778 |
| 51 | Montana | $62,076 |
Solar engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025