Where solar costs least per watt installed
Of the 11 states with a measured local price, Delaware is cheapest at $3.18 a watt and California dearest at $4.36. On an 8 kW system that gap is $9,440.
The table
| # | State | Median price | Reported systems |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $3.18/W | 1,599 systems |
| 2 | Texas | $3.46/W | 1,096 systems |
| 3 | Arizona | $3.62/W | 15,783 systems |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $3.73/W | 4,213 systems |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $3.74/W | 319 systems |
| 6 | Connecticut | $3.75/W | 1,848 systems |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $3.75/W | 157 systems |
| 8 | Oregon | $3.90/W | 214 systems |
| 9 | New York | $3.98/W | 19,752 systems |
| 10 | Florida | $4.08/W | 938 systems |
| 11 | California | $4.36/W | 159,263 systems |
Median gross installed price per watt on host-owned residential systems installed 2024-2025, from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Only the 11 states with enough reported installations to publish a local median are ranked: a price is not invented for the others. Full method on the methodology page.
Questions
Which state has the cheapest solar installation per watt?
Delaware, where the median host-owned residential system installed 2024-2025 cost $3.18 per watt across 1,599 systems, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That is $25,440 for an 8 kW system.
Which state has the most expensive solar per watt?
Among the 11 states with enough reported installations to measure, California is highest at a median $4.36 per watt (159,263 systems), or $34,880 for an 8 kW system before any incentive.
Why are only some states ranked by price?
Berkeley Lab's dataset is assembled from state incentive programme records, so it only covers states that collect them. 11 states have enough installations to publish a reliable median; the rest would be guesses, and this ranking leaves them out rather than print one.
Three competing quotes beat any amount of comparing panel brands
Sales cost and margin are over a third of an installed price, and they are the part that competition removes. A single quote from whoever reached you first is how people end up in the top quarter of what their neighbours paid.
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