Oregon Solar jobs: 5,807 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Oregon employs 5,807 people in the solar sector — about 1.6% of the U.S. total. That makes Oregon the 19th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in Oregon (2024)
National share: 1.57% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Oregon ranks 19th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 5,807 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 1,724 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 110,573 solar workers.
1.1 Oregon’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; Oregon accounts for 5,807 of them.
1.3 Where Oregon sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 41,357 | #21 |
| Solar | 5,807 | #19 |
| Hydropower | 1,774 | #8 |
| Wind | 1,717 | #22 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,578 | #18 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,112 | #26 |
| Clean Fuels | 601 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 199 | #30 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Oregon
Every solar-related sub-category reported for Oregon in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Oregon
Oregon contributes 1.57% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within Oregon’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 10.7% of total clean-energy jobs (5,807 of 54,146 workers).
Cost-of-living in Oregon is roughly 3.8% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in Oregon is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Oregon-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $63,930 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $53,831 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Oregon employers rate 17.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 28.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 46.0% of Oregon’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 | 31,116 |
| Manufacturing | 18,022 |
| Other Services | 14,819 |
| Professional Services | 12,911 |
| Trade | 9,210 |
| Utilities | 7,146 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,996 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 1,198 |
| Mining and Extraction | 48 |
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.