Idaho Solar jobs: 1,231 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Idaho employs 1,231 people in the solar sector — about 0.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Idaho the 42nd-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in Idaho (2024)
National share: 0.33% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Idaho ranks 42nd out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 1,231 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 2,852 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 115,149 solar workers.
1.1 Idaho’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The solar sector nationwide employs roughly 370,556 workers; Idaho accounts for 1,231 of them.
1.3 Where Idaho sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 10,224 | #42 |
| Solar | 1,231 | #42 |
| Wind | 1,061 | #33 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,014 | #28 |
| Electric Vehicles | 379 | #37 |
| Hydropower | 248 | #32 |
| Clean Fuels | 229 | #26 |
| Nuclear | 8 | #45 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Idaho
Every solar-related sub-category reported for Idaho in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Idaho
Idaho contributes 0.33% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within Idaho’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 8.6% of total clean-energy jobs (1,231 of 14,393 workers).
Cost-of-living in Idaho is roughly 6.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in Idaho is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Idaho-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $57,895 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $48,748 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Idaho employers rate 20.9% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.9% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.8% of Idaho’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.
4.1 Employer hiring difficulty
4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group
| Industry (NAICS group) | Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|
| Construction | 9,750 |
| Other Services | 7,735 |
| Professional Services | 6,584 |
| Manufacturing | 4,050 |
| Trade | 3,420 |
| Utilities | 2,850 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 745 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 675 |
| Mining and Extraction | 131 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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.