Best Cities for Solar Photovoltaic Installerss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where solar photovoltaic installerss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	New JerseyState	1.37	$78,950	$72,564	27%
2	OhioState	1.30	$62,400	$69,027	20%
3	NevadaState	1.27	$67,810	$67,675	26%
4	OregonState	1.21	$66,320	$64,388	29%
5	HawaiiState	1.20	$70,370	$63,973	41%
6	IowaState	1.20	$56,740	$63,610	20%
7	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.16	$66,320	$61,521	32%
8	IllinoisState	1.15	$59,630	$61,222	26%
9	MaineState	1.15	$61,210	$61,333	25%
10	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.12	$71,630	$59,592	53%
11	WashingtonState	1.08	$61,630	$57,437	37%
12	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.06	$58,350	$56,377	33%
13	KansasState	1.05	$49,990	$55,544	25%
14	CaliforniaState	1.03	$60,600	$54,743	45%
15	MassachusettsState	1.03	$59,180	$54,544	46%
16	South CarolinaState	1.03	$50,490	$54,880	30%
17	WisconsinState	1.01	$49,770	$53,922	26%
18	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.01	$49,990	$53,869	31%
19	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.01	$61,630	$53,920	43%
20	New MexicoState	0.99	$48,490	$52,707	26%
21	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	0.99	$48,020	$52,654	30%
22	ArkansasState	0.98	$44,820	$51,935	24%
23	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.98	$59,400	$52,335	52%
24	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.98	$51,170	$51,949	40%
25	ConnecticutState	0.97	$55,590	$51,664	34%
26	GeorgiaState	0.96	$47,790	$51,167	36%
27	IndianaState	0.96	$46,140	$50,983	27%
28	MichiganState	0.96	$47,080	$51,008	28%
29	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.96	$59,600	$51,159	46%
30	ArizonaState	0.95	$51,160	$50,704	35%
31	TexasState	0.95	$48,240	$50,460	34%
32	FloridaState	0.94	$50,550	$49,803	41%
33	New YorkState	0.94	$56,160	$49,920	39%
34	UtahState	0.94	$49,980	$49,880	36%
35	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.94	$48,350	$49,743	39%
36	PennsylvaniaState	0.93	$47,760	$49,237	33%
37	VermontState	0.91	$49,490	$48,283	35%
38	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	0.90	$45,970	$47,985	39%
39	ColoradoState	0.89	$49,730	$47,182	45%
40	VirginiaState	0.89	$49,190	$47,527	38%
41	South DakotaState	0.88	$42,380	$46,674	27%
42	North CarolinaState	0.87	$43,860	$46,462	36%
43	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.84	$48,290	$44,507	51%
44	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	0.80	$45,220	$42,741	45%
45	MarylandState	0.78	$45,430	$41,603	44%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).