Michigan Solar jobs: 5,758 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Michigan employs 5,758 people in the solar sector — about 1.6% of the U.S. total. That makes Michigan the 20th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in Michigan (2024)
National share: 1.55% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Michigan ranks 20th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 5,758 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 1,675 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 110,622 solar workers.
1.1 Michigan’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; Michigan accounts for 5,758 of them.
1.3 Where Michigan sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 78,442 | #10 |
| Electric Vehicles | 9,414 | #3 |
| Solar | 5,758 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 5,106 | #5 |
| Wind | 5,100 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 3,060 | #7 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,933 | #5 |
| Clean Fuels | 551 | #10 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Michigan
Every solar-related sub-category reported for Michigan in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Michigan
Michigan contributes 1.55% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within Michigan’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 5.2% of total clean-energy jobs (5,758 of 110,365 workers).
Cost-of-living in Michigan is roughly 6.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in Michigan is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Michigan-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
Michigan employers rate 24.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 23.8% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 48.3% of Michigan’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 226,497 |
| Construction | 38,349 |
| Trade | 35,253 |
| Other Services | 31,606 |
| Professional Services | 28,467 |
| Utilities | 20,480 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 11,416 |
| Mining and Extraction | 1,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 792 |
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.