Why This Page Does Not Include a Wage Figure
IREC’s demographics reporting, the source behind every figure on this page, breaks the solar workforce down by gender, race and ethnicity, veteran status, disability, age, and union representation. It does not include a wage or salary dollar figure. A page promising wage and diversity statistics without a sourced wage number would be overstating what the underlying research actually contains, so the honest version of this page covers workforce composition specifically, not pay.
Gender and the Five-Year Shift
Women made up 29% of the solar workforce in 2024, up from 26% in 2019, a 3-point increase over five years, per IREC’s National Solar Jobs Census. That is a real, if gradual, shift in a historically male-dominated trade, and it is measured the same way in both years, which makes the 3-point movement a genuine trend rather than a change in how the underlying survey counted its respondents.
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Book a Solar CallRace, Ethnicity, and Who Else Shows Up in the Numbers
Hispanic or Latino workers made up 24% of the solar workforce in 2024, up 7 points since 2019, the largest shift of any racial or ethnic group IREC tracks. Black workers made up 8%, Asian workers made up 8%, American Indian or Alaska Native workers made up 2%, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander workers made up 2%.
Veterans, Age, and Who Else the Numbers Track
Veterans made up 8% of the solar workforce against 5% of the overall US workforce, meaningfully above the national rate. Workers with disabilities made up 2%, below the 5% national rate. Formerly incarcerated workers made up 2% of the solar workforce. Workers under age 30 made up 31%, well above the 22% national figure, making solar a comparatively young industry by workforce age. Union representation stood at 12%.
The Headcount Behind the Percentages
The 2024 National Solar Jobs Census counted 280,119 solar workers, 464,053 combined with the storage workforce. California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts were the top five employment states, and Nevada ranked first in solar jobs per capita for a fourth consecutive year. 33 states saw solar job growth in 2024, led by Ohio at 5%, Georgia at 4.5%, Utah at 3.5%, and Texas at 3%. This site’s own solar jobs report covers that headcount and layoff picture in more depth; the percentages above are the demographic layer IREC reports separately from the headcount total.
The Numbers
Women made up 29% of the solar workforce in 2024, up from 26% in 2019.
Hispanic or Latino workers made up 24% of the solar workforce in 2024 (up 7 points since 2019); Black workers 8%, Asian workers 8%, American Indian or Alaska Native workers 2%, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander workers 2%.
Veterans made up 8% of the solar workforce versus 5% of the overall US workforce; workers under 30 made up 31% versus 22% nationally; union representation stood at 12%.
People with disabilities made up 2% of the solar workforce versus 5% nationally; formerly incarcerated workers made up 2%.
The 2024 Census counted 280,119 solar workers (464,053 combined with storage); California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts were the top five employment states, and 33 states saw job growth in 2024.
Sources
The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.