Solar Installers in the Ogden area earn a median of $48,290 a year, 17% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #34 of 44 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Provo, but less in Grand Junction.
Ogden scorecard for solar installers Our calculation
Grades compare Ogden with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($58,285).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Ogden Our calculation
Prices in Ogden run 0% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $48,122 would in a typical place, ranking #34 of 42 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What solar installers do
Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. May include measuring, cutting, assembling, and bolting structural framing and solar modules. May perform minor electrical work such as current checks.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions.
- Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
- Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations.
- Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
- Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, solar installer jobs are projected to grow 36.5% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 4,200 openings a year. About nan% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, solar installers have 101 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.2× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying UT metros for solar installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProvoUTAH · UT | $59,950 | $61,029 | 200 |
| OgdenUTAH · UT | $48,290 | $48,122 | 190 |
See every metro in Utah.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Ogden area's unemployment rate was 3.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just solar installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 2.6% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Ogden area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 2% take transit and 16% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Ogden are down 52% from 2021 to 2025 (7,482 → 3,599).
In 2025 the Ogden area approved permits for 3,599 new homes (1,746 single-family), or 5.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #115 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $48,290 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get solar installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Ogden with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for solar installers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.