Find Trade Colleges
Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors: Career Profile
Contact new or existing customers to determine their solar equipment needs, suggest systems or equipment, or estimate costs.
What Do Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors Perform?
The core tasks performed by solar sales representatives and assessors cover:
- Prepare proposals, quotes, contracts, or presentations for potential solar customers.
- Select solar energy products, systems, or services for customers based on electrical energy requirements, site conditions, price, or other factors.
- Provide customers with information, such as quotes, orders, sales, shipping, warranties, credit, funding options, incentives, or tax rebates.
- Gather information from prospective customers to identify their solar energy needs.
- Calculate potential solar resources or solar array production for a particular site considering issues such as climate, shading, and roof orientation.
- Generate solar energy customer leads to develop new accounts.
- Provide technical information about solar power, solar systems, equipment, and services to potential customers or dealers.
- Assess sites to determine suitability for solar equipment, using equipment such as tape measures, compasses, and computer software.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful solar sales representatives and assessors draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Canvasser
- Energy Consultant
- Residential Solar Consultant
- Residential Solar Sales Consultant
- Retail Solar Advisor
- Sales Associate
- Sales Consultant
- Sales Representative (Sales Rep)
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 606,750 solar sales representatives and assessors working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +7.5% over the projection horizon.
Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $31,788 |
| Hourly median | $15.28 |
| 10th percentile | $22,851 |
| 25th percentile | $27,320 |
| 75th percentile | $36,257 |
| 90th percentile | $40,725 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | $134,240 |
| New York | $132,410 |
| Colorado | $132,010 |
| Washington | $130,470 |
| West Virginia | $126,770 |
| California | $123,980 |
| Kansas | $123,560 |
| Hawaii | $120,490 |
| North Dakota | $119,610 |
| Florida | $113,730 |
| Virginia | $112,190 |
| Illinois | $110,420 |
| Michigan | $108,740 |
| Louisiana | $106,860 |
| North Carolina | $105,640 |
| South Dakota | $104,060 |
| Georgia | $103,920 |
| Oregon | $103,760 |
| Iowa | $102,740 |
| Delaware | $101,990 |
| Indiana | $101,000 |
| Rhode Island | $99,870 |
| Massachusetts | $98,350 |
| Wyoming | $97,830 |
| Minnesota | $96,470 |
| Nevada | $96,260 |
| Vermont | $95,900 |
| South Carolina | $95,460 |
| Ohio | $95,420 |
| Connecticut | $94,990 |
| New Hampshire | $94,150 |
| Missouri | $92,100 |
| Pennsylvania | $91,860 |
| Idaho | $88,170 |
| District of Columbia | $87,170 |
| Utah | $84,340 |
| Texas | $83,860 |
| Arizona | $83,220 |
| Tennessee | $83,110 |
| Kentucky | $82,860 |
| Montana | $81,270 |
| Wisconsin | $79,640 |
| Nebraska | $78,790 |
| Mississippi | $78,690 |
| New Mexico | $77,900 |
| Oklahoma | $77,050 |
| Maryland | $76,920 |
| Maine | $76,100 |
| Alaska | $63,470 |
| Arkansas | $59,880 |
| Puerto Rico | $59,820 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for solar sales representatives and assessors differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $121,623 | 14.1% | 0.93 |
| Middle Atlantic | $111,095 | 9.6% | 0.66 |
| Rocky Mountains | $102,858 | 3.3% | 0.92 |
| Great Lakes | $101,110 | 12.2% | 0.87 |
| Southeast | $99,527 | 24.3% | 1.08 |
| Plains States | $98,960 | 6.7% | 1.04 |
| New England | $96,143 | 5.8% | 1.33 |
| Southwest | $83,244 | 23.7% | 1.94 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne, WY | WY | $168,990 | |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $161,510 | 3,020 |
| Rochester, MN | MN | $156,910 | 180 |
| Morgantown, WV | WV | $150,190 | 30 |
| Rochester, NY | NY | $142,590 | 810 |
| Columbus, IN | IN | $139,790 | 150 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $138,240 | 7,720 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | MI | $137,570 | 710 |
Top Industries Employing Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors
The largest employers of solar sales representatives and assessors are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 171,180 | $100,680 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 41,600 | $99,620 |
| Manufacturing | 32,460 | $102,090 |
| Information | 24,690 | $104,060 |
| Retail Trade | 5,230 | $66,660 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 5,190 | $99,970 |
| Construction | 3,520 | $75,630 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,660 | $76,570 |
Below are examples of industries where solar sales representatives and assessors work:
Tools and Technology
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Customer relationship management CRM software: Salesforce software (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Trimble SketchUp Pro (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for solar sales representatives and assessors tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Education and Training
Most solar sales representatives and assessors positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Geothermal Production Managers (Supplemental)
- Construction Managers (Supplemental)
- Architectural and Engineering Managers (Supplemental)
- Wind Energy Operations Managers (Supplemental)
- Wind Energy Development Managers (Primary-Long)
- Cost Estimators (Supplemental)
- Sustainability Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (Supplemental)
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 41-4011.07 (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products).