Salary guide › Washington › Solar Installer
Solar Installer salary in Washington (2025)
Most solar installers in Washington earn $24.26 to $29.63 an hour.
The typical solar installer salary in Washington is $29.63 an hour, or $61,630 a year. That is 16% more than the national typical pay of $25.55.
Pay by job level
| Job | Hourly | Yearly | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $24.25 | $50,440 | Estimate: the lowest 10% of pay in this trade (BLS 10th percentile). BLS has no apprentice category. Apprentices often start near helper pay, then step up each year toward journeyman pay. Low |
| Journeyman | $29.63 | $61,630 | Typical pay in the trade. BLS does not split pay by license level. Medium |
| Foreman | $52.68 | $109,570 | BLS pay for construction supervisors across all trades. Medium |
| Superintendent | $74.55 | $155,070 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Project Manager | $74.55 | $155,070 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Estimator | $41.38 | $86,070 | BLS pay for cost estimators in all industries. Medium |
| Owner Operator | Depends on the business | There is no wage data for owners. They earn from business profit, not a wage. None | |
High exact government figure Medium closest government category Low estimate, method shown None no data
Best paying areas for solar installers in Washington
| Area | Typical hourly | Typical yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $31.88 | $66,320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $29.63 | $61,630 |
Typical means the median: half earn more, half earn less. Only areas where the government publishes a figure are listed.
Ready to get licensed in Washington? Start your solar installer exam prep with Contractor Pathway.
See Washington exam prepUnion and prevailing wage pay for solar installers in Washington
The federal wage list for Washington has no separate classification for solar installers, so there is no official union or prevailing rate to show. Ask the local union in your area for its wage sheet. Federal rates by county are on SAM.gov.
How to earn more
- Get licensed. A license lets you bid work in your own name. See Washington exam prep.
- Know the steps. Experience, application, exams and what comes after. How to get licensed in Washington.
- Run your own company. Many states also require a business and law exam. Business exam prep.
- Move up to foreman. Construction supervisors in Washington typically earn $52.68 an hour.
Common questions
How much does a solar installer make in Washington?
Typical pay is $29.63 an hour, or $61,630 a year, based on government data for May 2025. Most earn between $24.26 and $29.63 an hour. That includes union and non union workers.
What is the starting pay for a solar installer apprentice in Washington?
Expect about $24.25 an hour to start. That is the lowest 10% of pay in the trade, an estimate. Apprentice pay then rises each year. The local union or the Washington apprenticeship agency publishes the exact steps.
Do union solar installers make more in Washington?
We have no official union rate for this trade in Washington. Government pay figures mix union and non union workers, so they cannot answer this alone. Ask the local union for its wage sheet and compare wages plus benefits.
What is the prevailing wage for solar installer in Washington?
The federal wage list has no separate classification for this trade in Washington. Prevailing wage is the minimum on covered public jobs and changes by county. Check SAM.gov for your county, and whether Washington has its own prevailing wage law.
What is the highest paying city for solar installers in Washington?
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA pays the most, with typical pay of $31.88 an hour, based on government data for May 2025. Smaller areas may be missing because the government does not publish a figure for them.
Ready to get licensed in Washington? Start your solar installer exam prep with Contractor Pathway.
See Washington exam prepSee the full numbers and sources
Solar Installer salary in Washington: full pay range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.25 | $50,440 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 25th percentile | $24.26 | $50,450 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| Median | $29.63 | $61,630 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 75th percentile | $29.63 | $61,630 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 90th percentile | $29.64 | $61,640 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
A percentile shows where pay falls: the 10th percentile means 10% earn less. BLS publishes hourly and yearly figures; yearly assumes 2,080 paid hours (40 hours times 52 weeks). $115.00+ means BLS reports it only as at least that amount.
What affects solar installer pay in Washington
- Metro area. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA pays a median of $31.88 an hour, 8% above the Washington median.
- Experience and skill. In Washington, the top 10% earn at least $29.64 an hour, while the bottom 10% earn $24.25 or less. That gap of $5.39 an hour reflects experience, specialty and responsibility.
- State market. The Washington median is 16% above the national median of $25.55 for Solar Photovoltaic Installers.
- Overtime. BLS figures are straight time pay. Overtime, shift pay and bonuses are not included, so total earnings can be higher.
- Union status and public work. Union contracts and prevailing wage jobs set their own rates. Those are separate from the market figures above.
- License classification. A contractor license lets you bid and run your own jobs instead of earning a wage.
Comparing union, prevailing and market pay
These are not directly comparable. A union total package includes benefits, a prevailing wage applies only to covered public jobs, and the BLS market wage is straight time pay for everyone in the trade.
Methodology
Market figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, state and metro tables, May 2025. We never average across sources or occupations. Full methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state, metro and national tables. bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination WA20260108 (Davis-Bacon, building), King, revision 1. sam.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, state prevailing wage laws. dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/prevailing-wages
Salary information on Contractor Pathway is an estimate for educational purposes only. Figures come from public sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state prevailing wage determinations, federal wage determinations, and published union wage sheets. Actual pay depends on your employer, experience, local market, license classification, overtime, benefits, and the date of the data. Market wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes both union and non union workers. Union, prevailing wage, and market figures come from different sources and are not directly comparable. Some positions do not have official wage data, and those figures are marked as estimates with the method shown. This tool does not guarantee any wage, job offer, or income. Always confirm current rates with your local union, your state labor agency, or a prospective employer before making career or business decisions. Contractor Pathway is not responsible for decisions made based on these estimates.