New York Solar jobs: 16,152 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, New York employs 16,152 people in the solar sector — about 4.4% of the U.S. total. That makes New York the 5th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in New York (2024)
National share: 4.36% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
New York ranks 5th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 16,152 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 12,069 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 100,228 solar workers.
1.1 New York’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; New York accounts for 16,152 of them.
1.3 Where New York sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 135,393 | #3 |
| Solar | 16,152 | #5 |
| Hydropower | 5,309 | #4 |
| Electric Vehicles | 4,513 | #9 |
| Wind | 4,496 | #8 |
| Nuclear | 3,545 | #5 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,670 | #9 |
| Clean Fuels | 863 | #5 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in New York
Every solar-related sub-category reported for New York in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in New York
New York contributes 4.36% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within New York’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 9.3% of total clean-energy jobs (16,152 of 172,941 workers).
Cost-of-living in New York is roughly 10.9% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in New York is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | New York-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $68,303 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $57,513 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
New York employers rate 16.3% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 33.0% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.3% of New York’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) |
|---|---|
| Professional Services | 100,410 |
| Construction | 71,757 |
| Other Services | 57,301 |
| Utilities | 39,014 |
| Trade | 32,983 |
| Manufacturing | 28,744 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,357 |
| Mining and Extraction | 587 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 452 |
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.