The Home Almanac

Vol. I, MMXXVIThe American home, in season.Across all fifty states

Is solar worth it where you live?

Most results for this are sales pages. Here is the local picture: what a rooftop system generates and saves in your state, from NREL sun data and your local power rate. A planning estimate, not a pitch.

In California, a typical 8 kW system generates about 12,800 kWh a year, saves about $4,275, and pays back in about 5.6 years before incentives.

GenerateskWh per year
Savesper year on power
Install costbefore rebates
Pays back inyears, simple
25-year netafter the system pays for itself

How to use it

  1. Choose your state. Select the state where the rooftop solar system would be installed.
  2. Enter the system size. Use the default 8 kW home system or enter your own system size in kilowatts.
  3. Read the estimate. Compare annual generation, annual savings, install cost, simple payback, and 25-year net.
  4. Compare states. Use the state table to see how sun and electricity rates change the payback.

How the states compare

A typical 8 kW system, best dollar payback first. Tap a state for the detail.

Hawaii $5,402/yr 1600 kWh/kW 42.2 cents/kWh 4.4 yr payback California $4,275/yr 1600 kWh/kW 33.4 cents/kWh 5.6 yr payback Maryland $3,791/yr 1320 kWh/kW 35.9 cents/kWh 6.3 yr payback Rhode Island $3,110/yr 1300 kWh/kW 29.9 cents/kWh 7.7 yr payback Connecticut $3,099/yr 1270 kWh/kW 30.5 cents/kWh 7.7 yr payback Massachusetts $3,068/yr 1270 kWh/kW 30.2 cents/kWh 7.8 yr payback New York $2,906/yr 1270 kWh/kW 28.6 cents/kWh 8.3 yr payback Maine $2,875/yr 1270 kWh/kW 28.3 cents/kWh 8.3 yr payback New Hampshire $2,733/yr 1270 kWh/kW 26.9 cents/kWh 8.8 yr payback New Jersey $2,444/yr 1300 kWh/kW 23.5 cents/kWh 9.8 yr payback Vermont $2,371/yr 1230 kWh/kW 24.1 cents/kWh 10.1 yr payback Arizona $2,246/yr 1800 kWh/kW 15.6 cents/kWh 10.7 yr payback Colorado $2,138/yr 1600 kWh/kW 16.7 cents/kWh 11.2 yr payback Pennsylvania $2,123/yr 1270 kWh/kW 20.9 cents/kWh 11.3 yr payback Michigan $2,086/yr 1230 kWh/kW 21.2 cents/kWh 11.5 yr payback New Mexico $2,072/yr 1750 kWh/kW 14.8 cents/kWh 11.6 yr payback Alaska $2,067/yr 950 kWh/kW 27.2 cents/kWh 11.6 yr payback Texas $2,034/yr 1550 kWh/kW 16.4 cents/kWh 11.8 yr payback Nevada $1,988/yr 1750 kWh/kW 14.2 cents/kWh 12.1 yr payback Illinois $1,966/yr 1300 kWh/kW 18.9 cents/kWh 12.2 yr payback Alabama $1,926/yr 1400 kWh/kW 17.2 cents/kWh 12.5 yr payback South Carolina $1,914/yr 1450 kWh/kW 16.5 cents/kWh 12.5 yr payback Ohio $1,910/yr 1270 kWh/kW 18.8 cents/kWh 12.6 yr payback Wisconsin $1,910/yr 1270 kWh/kW 18.8 cents/kWh 12.6 yr payback Virginia $1,888/yr 1380 kWh/kW 17.1 cents/kWh 12.7 yr payback Indiana $1,862/yr 1300 kWh/kW 17.9 cents/kWh 12.9 yr payback Delaware $1,859/yr 1320 kWh/kW 17.6 cents/kWh 12.9 yr payback North Carolina $1,856/yr 1450 kWh/kW 16.0 cents/kWh 12.9 yr payback Kansas $1,836/yr 1500 kWh/kW 15.3 cents/kWh 13.1 yr payback Mississippi $1,826/yr 1400 kWh/kW 16.3 cents/kWh 13.1 yr payback Florida $1,788/yr 1500 kWh/kW 14.9 cents/kWh 13.4 yr payback Georgia $1,740/yr 1450 kWh/kW 15.0 cents/kWh 13.8 yr payback Tennessee $1,667/yr 1380 kWh/kW 15.1 cents/kWh 14.4 yr payback Utah $1,637/yr 1550 kWh/kW 13.2 cents/kWh 14.7 yr payback Oklahoma $1,632/yr 1500 kWh/kW 13.6 cents/kWh 14.7 yr payback Wyoming $1,632/yr 1500 kWh/kW 13.6 cents/kWh 14.7 yr payback West Virginia $1,614/yr 1230 kWh/kW 16.4 cents/kWh 14.9 yr payback Kentucky $1,609/yr 1350 kWh/kW 14.9 cents/kWh 14.9 yr payback South Dakota $1,602/yr 1400 kWh/kW 14.3 cents/kWh 15 yr payback Louisiana $1,590/yr 1400 kWh/kW 14.2 cents/kWh 15.1 yr payback Minnesota $1,546/yr 1280 kWh/kW 15.1 cents/kWh 15.5 yr payback Arkansas $1,523/yr 1400 kWh/kW 13.6 cents/kWh 15.8 yr payback Nebraska $1,520/yr 1450 kWh/kW 13.1 cents/kWh 15.8 yr payback Montana $1,512/yr 1400 kWh/kW 13.5 cents/kWh 15.9 yr payback Idaho $1,508/yr 1450 kWh/kW 13.0 cents/kWh 15.9 yr payback Missouri $1,479/yr 1380 kWh/kW 13.4 cents/kWh 16.2 yr payback Iowa $1,415/yr 1320 kWh/kW 13.4 cents/kWh 17 yr payback Oregon $1,407/yr 1180 kWh/kW 14.9 cents/kWh 17.1 yr payback North Dakota $1,296/yr 1350 kWh/kW 12.0 cents/kWh 18.5 yr payback Washington $1,267/yr 1100 kWh/kW 14.4 cents/kWh 18.9 yr payback

Solar questions

Is solar worth it in the US?

It depends on two local numbers: how much sun your state gets and how much you pay for power. The best math is in sunny, higher-rate states like California and Hawaii; the longest payback is where power is cheap, like North Dakota and Washington. A typical 8 kW system pays back in roughly 4 to 19 years across the states before the federal credit. Use the estimator for your own case.

How is the estimate calculated?

Annual generation is your system size in kilowatts times the state's NREL PVWatts output (kWh per kW per year). Savings is that generation times your electricity rate. Payback is the install cost (about $3.00 per watt) divided by yearly savings. It is a planning estimate, not a quote.

What does this leave out?

Your roof tilt and shading, your exact utility rate and net-metering rules, financing, rate increases over time, and incentives. All of those move the result, so treat this as a starting point and get local quotes.

Does this include the federal solar tax credit?

No. The payback uses the before-incentive install cost, so the 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, plus any state or utility programs, shortens it. Check current programs before you sign.

Why do states differ so much?

Savings are driven by sun times electricity price. A state with high solar yield and high power rates saves more per installed kilowatt than a state with lower sun or very cheap electricity.

How this page was made

Sun figures are NREL PVWatts (kWh per kW per year, representative state city). Rates are a representative all-in residential figure from the US Energy Information Administration. Install cost uses about $3.00 per watt (2.50 to 3.50 typical), from 2026 US cost benchmarks. Last reviewed 2026-06-30.

This is a planning estimate, not a quote. It uses a state-level representative figure for sun and electricity price; your roof, shading, tilt, exact utility rate, net-metering rules, financing, and incentives will change the result. The payback shown is before incentives; the 30 percent federal solar tax credit and any state or utility programs shorten it. Run PVWatts for your address and get two or three local quotes before deciding. Figures last reviewed on the verified date.

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