Solar employment spans manufacturing, project development, installation, distribution, operations and maintenance. The available estimates range from global direct-and-indirect photovoltaic employment to narrowly defined U.S. installer occupations, so periods, populations and definitions matter when comparing the figures below.
Key Solar Employment Statistics
The most useful headline figures cover global scale, concentration, U.S. job composition, pay and deployment context:
- In 2024, global solar photovoltaic employment was estimated at 7.2 million jobs worldwide, including direct and indirect employment.
- In 2023, China had an estimated 4.6 million solar photovoltaic jobs.
- In 2024, China accounted for about 4.2 million solar photovoltaic jobs, or 58% of global PV employment.
- In 2024, Asia hosted an estimated 75% of global solar photovoltaic jobs.
- In 2024, the 10 countries with the most solar photovoltaic jobs accounted for about 6 million jobs, or 82% of the global total.
- In 2024, Europe had an estimated 821,200 solar photovoltaic jobs, including jobs in the European Union.
- In 2023, the United States had close to 280,000 solar photovoltaic jobs under IRENA’s broader employment definition.
- In 2024, 280,119 U.S. workers spent most of their working hours on solar-related tasks according to the National Solar Jobs Census measure.
- From 2022 to 2023, U.S. solar photovoltaic employment increased by 15,564 jobs, or about 6%.
- In 2023, installations and project development represented 64% of U.S. solar photovoltaic employment.
- In May 2023, the U.S. solar photovoltaic installer occupation included an estimated 24,510 jobs.
- In May 2023, the median hourly wage for U.S. solar photovoltaic installers was $23.46.
- In May 2025, the median annual wage for U.S. solar photovoltaic installers was $53,140.
- From 2025 to 2035, BLS projects U.S. solar photovoltaic installer employment to grow 37%.
- From 2025 through 2035, BLS projects about 4,200 solar photovoltaic installer openings per year on average.
- In May 2024, California had an estimated 8,970 solar photovoltaic installer jobs.
- In 2024, the United States had 235.7 GW of cumulative solar capacity according to SEIA’s year-in-review snapshot.
Contents
- Global solar employment scale and long-term trends
- Where solar photovoltaic jobs are concentrated
- Country-level solar employment and U.S. growth
- What U.S. solar jobs include
- U.S. solar installer wages and job outlook
- States with the largest installer workforces
- Deployment, investment and measured market outcomes
Global Solar Employment Trends: Photovoltaic Jobs Over Time
IRENA’s historical series estimates global solar photovoltaic employment, including direct and indirect jobs, at 1.36 million in 2012 and 2.27 million in 2013. The same series reached 2.49 million in 2014, 2.77 million in 2015 and 3.09 million in 2016.
The estimate continued to rise to 3.37 million jobs in 2017, 3.68 million in 2018, 3.75 million in 2019, 3.98 million in 2020 and 4.29 million in 2021.
| Year | Estimated global PV employment |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.36 million jobs |
| 2013 | 2.27 million jobs |
| 2014 | 2.49 million jobs |
| 2015 | 2.77 million jobs |
| 2016 | 3.09 million jobs |
| 2017 | 3.37 million jobs |
| 2018 | 3.68 million jobs |
| 2019 | 3.75 million jobs |
| 2020 | 3.98 million jobs |
| 2021 | 4.29 million jobs |
Source: Renewable energy and jobs: Annual review 2024. These are IRENA estimates, and the methodology may combine administrative data, surveys, employment factors and modelling.
Where Solar Photovoltaic Jobs Are Concentrated Globally
Global solar photovoltaic employment reached an estimated 7.2 million jobs in 2024, up from 7.1 million in 2023. The 2024 total includes direct and indirect employment, so it is not a count of one standardized occupational code.
| Region or group | 2024 solar photovoltaic employment measure |
|---|---|
| Asia | 75% of global PV jobs |
| Europe | 11.3% of global PV jobs |
| European Union | 10.6% of global PV jobs |
| Americas | 9.6% of global PV jobs |
| Top 10 countries | About 6 million jobs, or 82% of global PV jobs |
China alone accounted for about 4.2 million jobs, or 58% of global PV employment, in 2024. Europe had an estimated 821,200 jobs, of which 764,400 were in EU member states.
Source: Renewable energy and jobs: Annual review 2025. Country estimates are not a uniform administrative census, and regional aggregates are IRENA estimates.
Country-Level Solar Employment Statistics and Recent U.S. Growth
The 2023 country estimates show how employment is distributed across major solar markets. They use IRENA’s photovoltaic employment definition and should not be treated as directly interchangeable with the narrower U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics installer occupation.
| Country or region | Estimated PV jobs | Period |
|---|---|---|
| China | 4.6 million | 2023 |
| European Union | About 720,000 | 2023 |
| India | 318,600 | 2023 |
| United States | Close to 280,000 | 2023 |
| Brazil | 264,000 | 2023 |
| Japan | 115,000 | 2023 |
Source: Renewable energy and jobs: Annual review 2024.
For the United States, the IREC National Solar Jobs Census reported that 280,119 people held jobs in 2024 in which they spent most of their working hours on solar-related tasks. This survey measure is reported by IRENA and is not directly comparable with BLS SOC counts.
U.S. solar photovoltaic employment increased by 15,564 jobs, or about 6%, from 2022 to 2023. That change is an IREC census estimate and reported year-to-year comparison, rather than a BLS occupational series.
What U.S. Solar Jobs Include: Segments and Manufacturing
U.S. photovoltaic employment covers more than people who install panels. In 2023, installations and project development formed the largest segment, while trade, manufacturing, operations and maintenance, and other categories made up the remainder.
| U.S. PV employment segment | Share in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Installations and project development | 64% |
| Trade and distribution | 12% |
| Solar photovoltaic manufacturing | 12% |
| Operations and maintenance | 8% |
| Other categories | 4.5% |
Source: Renewable energy and jobs: Annual review 2024. The categories are from the IREC census classification.
Manufacturing examples illustrate the difference between a project announcement and a national workforce count. A Qcells solar manufacturing expansion in Georgia was associated with 3,800 direct jobs in 2023–2024 report coverage; that project-specific figure is not the whole U.S. manufacturing workforce.
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Installer Wages and Job Outlook
The BLS occupation code 47-2231 measures solar photovoltaic installers specifically. It excludes solar electricians and solar thermal installers, which is why its employment total is much smaller than the broader IRENA or IREC photovoltaic workforce estimates.
In May 2023, BLS estimated 24,510 U.S. solar photovoltaic installer jobs. The mean hourly wage was $25.55, while the median was $23.46; the 10th-percentile wage was $18.23 and the 90th-percentile wage was $35.37.
| Wage measure | U.S. estimate | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile, hourly | $18.23 | May 2023 |
| Median, hourly | $23.46 | May 2023 |
| Mean, hourly | $25.55 | May 2023 |
| 90th percentile, hourly | $35.37 | May 2023 |
| Median, annual | $53,140 | May 2025 |
| Lowest 10%, annual | Less than $41,600 | May 2025 |
| Highest 10%, annual | More than $79,970 | May 2025 |
Sources: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 47-2231 Solar Photovoltaic Installers and Solar Photovoltaic Installers: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
BLS projects solar photovoltaic installer employment to grow 37% from 2025 to 2035. It also projects about 4,200 openings per year on average during that period, including replacement openings as well as growth, so the annual figure is not a count of entirely new jobs.
U.S. States With the Largest Solar Installer Workforces
BLS state estimates show installer employment concentrated in a small group of states and one U.S. territory. These figures cover SOC 47-2231 and are not broader solar-sector employment totals.
| State or area | Solar PV installer jobs | Period |
|---|---|---|
| California | 8,970 | May 2024 |
| Texas | 5,370 | May 2024 |
| Florida | 1,940 | May 2024 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,430 | May 2024 |
| Arizona | 1,360 | May 2024 |
| New Jersey | 1,280 | May 2024 |
| Virginia | 1,110 | May 2024 |
| North Carolina | 730 | May 2024 |
Source: Data tables for OEWS charts, May 2024. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and its figure is a BLS OEWS area estimate.
Solar Deployment, Investment and Measured Market Outcomes
Employment statistics describe people and jobs, while deployment and investment statistics describe the scale of the market supporting those activities. They provide context, but they are not substitutes for an employment census.
China installed 276.8 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity in 2024, up from 216.9 GW in 2023. SEIA’s 2024 U.S. year-in-review snapshot reported 235.7 GW of cumulative U.S. solar capacity.
The same SEIA research reported that solar represented over 69% of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in the first quarter of 2025. It also estimated that the U.S. solar industry generated over $70 billion of private investment in 2024.
Sources: Renewable energy and jobs: Annual review 2025 and Solar Industry Research Data – SEIA. The capacity snapshot and the Q1 2025 capacity-share statistic refer to different periods, and SEIA market figures are industry estimates compiled with Wood Mackenzie/IREC using each source’s stated definition.