What home solar really costs to install.
What homeowners actually paid for 304,657 systems installed in 2023–2025, and the 6,283 companies that installed them, by state and county.
Installed price by state
Median $/W for home systems bought outright, 2023–2025. Lighter is cheaper. Choose a state.
| State | Median price | Typical system | Installers named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona78,807 home systems since 2023 | $4.03/W | 8.5 kW · $34,300 | 539 |
| California579,449 home systems since 2023 | $4.07/W | 6 kW · $24,400 | 3,963 |
| Colorado22,401 home systems since 2023 | $4.77/W | 6.5 kW · $31,000 | — |
| Connecticut8,886 home systems since 2023 | $4.18/W | 9 kW · $37,600 | 80 |
| Delaware2,868 home systems since 2023 | $3.73/W | 9.5 kW · $35,400 | — |
| District of Columbia8,242 home systems since 2023 | — | — | — |
| Florida4,368 home systems since 2023 | $4.64/W | 11 kW · $51,000 | 233 |
| Illinois59,983 home systems since 2023 | — | — | 588 |
| Maine11,006 home systems since 2023 | — | — | — |
| Maryland9,854 home systems since 2023 | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts5,047 home systems since 2023 | $3.85/W | 10 kW · $38,500 | 168 |
| Minnesota3,787 home systems since 2023 | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire887 home systems since 2023 | $3.58/W | 10 kW · $35,800 | 60 |
| New Jersey57,241 home systems since 2023 | — | — | 246 |
| New Mexico15,108 home systems since 2023 | $4.48/W | 7 kW · $31,400 | 203 |
| New York48,220 home systems since 2023 | $4.16/W | 8.5 kW · $35,400 | 204 |
| Ohio549 home systems since 2023 | — | — | — |
| Oregon969 home systems since 2023 | $4.24/W | 9 kW · $38,200 | 68 |
| Rhode Island1,220 home systems since 2023 | — | — | 40 |
| Texas81,754 home systems since 2023 | $3.40/W | 7.5 kW · $25,500 | 203 |
| Utah3,636 home systems since 2023 | $5.68/W | 7.5 kW · $42,600 | — |
| Vermont4,356 home systems since 2023 | — | — | 121 |
| Wisconsin7,530 home systems since 2023 | $3.92/W | 8 kW · $31,400 | 154 |
These are the states with public, system-by-system installation records. Some states’ records leave out who installed each system, so they have prices but no installer list.
Installed price by year
Median $/W for systems bought outright, by the year they were installed.
Show as table
| Date | Median |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $3.95/W |
| 2022 | $4.20/W |
| 2023 | $4.20/W |
| 2024 | $4.00/W |
| 2025 | $3.55/W |
What a system costs nationally
| Size | Typical cost | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $20,500 | $16.1k–$24.8k |
| 7 kW | $28,700 | $22.5k–$34.7k |
| 10 kW | $41,000 | $32.2k–$49.5k |
| 12 kW | $49,200 | $38.6k–$59.4k |
At the median installed price of $4.10/W (304,657 systems bought outright), before incentives. The middle half of buyers paid within the range shown. Systems with a battery cost more and aren’t included.
How much do solar panels cost to install?
Home systems bought outright in 2023–2025 cost a median $4.10/W of panel capacity installed, so a typical 6.5 kW system ran about $26,700 before incentives. The middle half of buyers paid $3.22/W to $4.95/W.
Which states have the cheapest solar installation?
Of the states with public installation records, Texas ($3.40/W), New Hampshire ($3.58/W), Delaware ($3.73/W) had the lowest median installed prices in 2023–2025.
Is there still a federal tax credit for home solar?
The 30% federal tax credit for homeowners who buy solar (the Residential Clean Energy Credit) ended for systems paid for after December 31, 2025. The prices here are before any incentive, so they're what you'd pay in full; check your state and utility for programs that still apply.
Installed prices and installers from public installation records: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Tracking the Sun (systems installed through 2025) and state program files from California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Oregon, which run into 2026. Prices are in dollars per watt of panel capacity (DC), before rebates and tax credits, for homes that bought their system; leased systems and systems with batteries are left out.