North Carolina Solar jobs: 10,224 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Carolina employs 10,224 people in the solar sector — about 2.8% of the U.S. total. That makes North Carolina the 7th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in North Carolina (2024)
National share: 2.76% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
North Carolina ranks 7th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 10,224 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 6,141 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 106,156 solar workers.
1.1 North Carolina’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; North Carolina accounts for 10,224 of them.
1.3 Where North Carolina sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 83,490 | #7 |
| Solar | 10,224 | #7 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,747 | #14 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,020 | #15 |
| Wind | 1,731 | #20 |
| Nuclear | 1,565 | #15 |
| Hydropower | 806 | #16 |
| Clean Fuels | 571 | #9 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Carolina
Every solar-related sub-category reported for North Carolina in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in North Carolina
North Carolina contributes 2.76% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within North Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 9.9% of total clean-energy jobs (10,224 of 103,154 workers).
Cost-of-living in North Carolina is roughly 3.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in North Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | North Carolina-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $59,250 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $49,889 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
North Carolina employers rate 18.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 36.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 55.0% of North Carolina’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 | 54,511 |
| Professional Services | 47,657 |
| Manufacturing | 44,541 |
| Other Services | 39,092 |
| Trade | 23,647 |
| Utilities | 14,591 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,791 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,119 |
| Mining and Extraction | 301 |
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.