Solar Thermal Installer and Technician Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians earn a median of $63,800 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 25% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $30.67/hr. The middle half earn between $50,190 and $85,110. The top 10% earn $108,420 or more.

The median hourly wage for solar thermal installers and technicians is $30.67 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $63,800 annual median works out to about $5,320 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of solar thermal installers and technicians earn less than $44,150 a year and the bottom quarter less than $50,190 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

A minority do. $100,000 sits between the 75th percentile ($85,110) and the 90th ($108,420), so roughly 10% to 25% of solar thermal installers and technicians earn more than that (BLS OEWS, May 2025). One state has a median above $100,000: District of Columbia ($101,020).

The highest state medians for Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians are District of Columbia ($101,020), Illinois ($99,950), Oregon ($97,050) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Illinois moves to the top at $99,992.

BLS does not split solar thermal installers and technicians' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $108,420, against a median of $63,800 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($101,020), Illinois ($99,950), Oregon ($97,050).

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians. BLS also lists apprenticeship as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 43.2% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for solar thermal installers and technicians is a high school diploma or equivalent. Once hired, BLS lists apprenticeship as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing medium preparation.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.8% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 42,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping fixtures and systems. A core O*NET task: determine locations for installing solar subsystem components, including piping, water heaters, valves, and ancillary equipment. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Customer relationship management CRM software, Development environment software.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 40% of solar thermal installers and technicians usually work more than 40 hours a week, 51% work exactly 40 and 9% work fewer. 14% say their schedule is regular and 73% irregular, and 13% work seasonally. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 3.1% of solar thermal installers and technicians, against 47.1% of all employed people: a heavily male-dominated occupation. 18.4% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 40.2 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.