Minnesota Solar jobs: 5,390 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Minnesota employs 5,390 people in the solar sector — about 1.5% of the U.S. total. That makes Minnesota the 22nd-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in Minnesota (2024)
National share: 1.45% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Minnesota ranks 22nd out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 5,390 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 1,307 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 110,990 solar workers.
1.1 Minnesota’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; Minnesota accounts for 5,390 of them.
1.3 Where Minnesota sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 46,177 | #19 |
| Solar | 5,390 | #22 |
| Wind | 2,870 | #12 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,210 | #12 |
| Nuclear | 1,761 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,341 | #23 |
| Hydropower | 1,063 | #10 |
| Clean Fuels | 377 | #15 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Minnesota
Every solar-related sub-category reported for Minnesota in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Minnesota
Minnesota contributes 1.45% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within Minnesota’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 8.8% of total clean-energy jobs (5,390 of 61,189 workers).
Cost-of-living in Minnesota is roughly 2.3% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in Minnesota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Minnesota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $60,173 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $50,667 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Minnesota employers rate 15.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 34.3% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.8% of Minnesota’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 | 43,201 |
| Trade | 18,589 |
| Other Services | 18,110 |
| Manufacturing | 16,970 |
| Professional Services | 15,203 |
| Utilities | 13,997 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,043 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,707 |
| Mining and Extraction | 205 |
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.