Washington Solar jobs: 5,845 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Washington employs 5,845 people in the solar sector — about 1.6% of the U.S. total. That makes Washington the 18th-largest state for solar jobs nationwide.
Solar Jobs in Washington (2024)
National share: 1.58% of all U.S. solar jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Washington ranks 18th out of 51 U.S. states in solar employment. At 5,845 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Hawaii’s tally by 1,762 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 110,535 solar workers.
1.1 Washington’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; Washington accounts for 5,845 of them.
1.3 Where Washington sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 61,884 | #13 |
| Solar | 5,845 | #18 |
| Wind | 3,485 | #10 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,790 | #7 |
| Hydropower | 2,676 | #7 |
| Clean Fuels | 1,444 | #2 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,346 | #22 |
| Nuclear | 608 | #28 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Washington
Every solar-related sub-category reported for Washington in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Washington
Washington contributes 1.58% of the nation’s solar workforce. Within Washington’s own clean-energy economy, solar accounts for 7.3% of total clean-energy jobs (5,845 of 80,078 workers).
Cost-of-living in Washington is roughly 8.1% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for solar roles in Washington is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Washington-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $61,590 | $66,579 | 3 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installer | $51,860 | $56,061 | 2 |
See all 2 solar occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Washington employers rate 21.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 21.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 43.0% of Washington’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 | 52,600 |
| Professional Services | 27,791 |
| Other Services | 21,844 |
| Trade | 15,877 |
| Utilities | 14,773 |
| Manufacturing | 14,722 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,231 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 428 |
| Mining and Extraction | 99 |
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.