Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $60,600 | $55,179 | +10% |
| Median hourly wage | $29.13 | $26.53 | +10% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $54,743.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Solar Installer in California is $60,600, or about $29.13 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Solar Installers is $55,179. California is +10% above the national median.
Entry-level solar installers in California typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 6,830 solar installer jobs on record and a median salary of $60,600, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, solar installers rank 474 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 40% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $141,180, Insulation Workers, Mechanical at $119,690, Boilermakers at $118,150 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, solar installers rank 474 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 40% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $141,180 | $1,910 |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | $119,690 | $1,310 |
| Boilermakers | $118,150 | $720 |
| Pile Driver Operators | $110,340 | $480 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $101,290 | $13,420 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $97,680 | $71,750 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.