Solar · District of Columbia

District of Columbia Solar jobs: 1,677 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, District of Columbia employs 1,677 people in the solar sector — about 0.5% of the U.S. total. That makes District of Columbia the 36th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.

Solar Jobs in District of Columbia (2024)

1,677 Rank #36 of 51

National share: 0.45% of all U.S. solar jobs.

Typical Median Wage

$56,725
Sector-wide BLS OES median across 2 tracked occupations.

1. Employment Landscape

District of Columbia ranks 36th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 1,677 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 2,406 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 114,703 solar workers.

1.1 District of Columbia’s position vs. the top 10 and median states

1st · California
116,380
25th · Hawaii
4,083
36. District of Columbia
1,677
51st · Alaska
163

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The solar sector nationwide employs roughly 370,556 workers; District of Columbia accounts for 1,677 of them.

1.3 Where District of Columbia sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 12,625 #37
Solar 1,677 #36
Wind 349 #43
Electric Vehicles 167 #45
Storage & Grid 147 #50
Hydropower 120 #42
Nuclear 119 #34
Clean Fuels 27 #51

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in District of Columbia

Every solar-related sub-category reported for District of Columbia in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.

Solar
1,677

2. Pay & Career Roles in District of Columbia

District of Columbia contributes 0.45% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within District of Columbia’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 11.0% of total clean-energy jobs (1,677 of 15,231 workers).

Cost-of-living in District of Columbia is roughly 18.7% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in District of Columbia is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianDistrict of Columbia-adjustedJob Zone
Electrician $61,590 $73,107 3
Solar Photovoltaic Installer $51,860 $61,558 2

See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

District of Columbia employers rate 16.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 35.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.8% of District of Columbia’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
43.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
35.2%
Very difficult hiring
16.6%
Not at all difficult hiring
4.9%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Professional Services 10,078
Construction 5,954
Other Services 1,496
Utilities 1,307
Trade 1,223
Manufacturing 20
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 4
Mining and Extraction 1
Agriculture and Forestry 0

Frequently Asked Questions

How many solar jobs are there in District of Columbia?
As of 2024, District of Columbia has approximately 1,677 solar jobs — ranked 36th nationally.
What do these jobs pay?
Median wages across the tracked solar occupations range from $51,860 to $61,590 according to BLS OES.
Is District of Columbia a good place to take one of these jobs?
District of Columbia is currently relatively loose. Cost-of-living runs 18.7% above the U.S. average, which raises or lowers real take-home on a BLS national median by a similar amount.

Data source: U.S. Department of Energy — 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (reflecting 2024 employment); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics; O*NET Occupation Database 29.1.

Last updated: April 2026.