Solar State Rankings 2026

Ranked across 4 dimensions: incentive programs, solar score, payback period, and electricity rates · 51 states + DC · NREL + EIA + DSIRE data

Most Incentives Best Solar Score Fastest Payback Full Net Metering
1

States Ranked by Solar Incentive Programs

States with more incentive programs offer more ways to reduce upfront cost and increase ongoing ROI. More programs = more stacking opportunities.

#1 California

4

incentive programs

6.3 yr payback
#2 Arizona

4

incentive programs

10.3 yr payback
#3 Nevada

4

incentive programs

11.9 yr payback
# State Programs Payback
1 California 4 6.3 yr
2 Arizona 4 10.3 yr
3 Nevada 4 11.9 yr
4 Texas 4 11.8 yr
5 Florida 4 12 yr
6 Colorado 4 12.3 yr
7 Connecticut 4 8.9 yr
8 Massachusetts 4 9.2 yr
9 New York 4 11.1 yr
10 New Jersey 4 12.8 yr
11 District of Columbia 4 13 yr
12 Maryland 4 14.3 yr
13 Illinois 4 14 yr
14 Minnesota 4 15.9 yr
15 Hawaii 3 5.2 yr
16 New Mexico 3 10.3 yr
17 Utah 3 14.5 yr
18 Rhode Island 3 9.7 yr
19 South Carolina 3 14 yr
20 North Carolina 3 14.4 yr
21 Vermont 3 11.5 yr
22 Montana 3 16.3 yr
23 Virginia 3 15 yr
24 Delaware 3 15.4 yr
25 Oregon 3 16.9 yr
26 Pennsylvania 3 14.2 yr
27 Wisconsin 3 14.2 yr
28 Washington 3 26.6 yr
29 Maine 2 9.3 yr
30 New Hampshire 2 9.8 yr
31 Kansas 2 13.7 yr
32 Georgia 2 14.5 yr
33 Oklahoma 2 15.5 yr
34 Louisiana 2 17.8 yr
35 Tennessee 2 16.7 yr
36 Arkansas 2 17.2 yr
37 Missouri 2 15.6 yr
38 North Dakota 2 18.2 yr
39 Iowa 2 16.7 yr
40 Kentucky 2 17.7 yr
41 Michigan 2 14.4 yr
42 Ohio 2 16.3 yr
43 West Virginia 2 19.4 yr
44 Alaska 2 17 yr
45 Wyoming 1 15.3 yr
46 Alabama 1 14.4 yr
47 Mississippi 1 15.7 yr
48 Nebraska 1 16.4 yr
49 South Dakota 1 17.1 yr
50 Idaho 1 20 yr
51 Indiana 1 15.8 yr

Programs sourced from DSIRE USA database. Includes all active state tax credits, rebates, net metering policies, SREC programs, loan programs, and property/sales tax exemptions.

2

States Ranked by Solar Score

The solar score (0–100) weights irradiance (40%), incentive count (30%), and payback period (30%). It reflects overall solar suitability — balancing sun, incentives, and economics.

#1 Hawaii

67

Good solar score

3 incentive programs
#2 California

66

Good solar score

4 incentive programs
#3 Arizona

61

Good solar score

4 incentive programs
# State Score Payback
1 Hawaii 67 Good 5.2 yr
2 California 66 Good 6.3 yr
3 Arizona 61 Good 10.3 yr
4 New Mexico 57 Fair 10.3 yr
5 Nevada 53 Fair 11.9 yr
6 Texas 49 Fair 11.8 yr
7 Florida 47 Fair 12 yr
8 Colorado 45 Fair 12.3 yr
9 Connecticut 41 Fair 8.9 yr
10 Massachusetts 41 Fair 9.2 yr
11 Utah 40 Fair 14.5 yr
12 New York 38 Poor 11.1 yr
13 Rhode Island 37 Poor 9.7 yr
14 Maine 36 Poor 9.3 yr
15 New Hampshire 34 Poor 9.8 yr
16 New Jersey 34 Poor 12.8 yr
17 South Carolina 34 Poor 14 yr
18 North Carolina 33 Poor 14.4 yr
19 Kansas 32 Poor 13.7 yr
20 District of Columbia 32 Poor 13 yr
21 Georgia 31 Poor 14.5 yr
22 Vermont 31 Poor 11.5 yr
23 Maryland 29 Poor 14.3 yr
24 Montana 29 Poor 16.3 yr
25 Oklahoma 29 Poor 15.5 yr
26 Illinois 28 Poor 14 yr
27 Wyoming 28 Poor 15.3 yr
28 Louisiana 27 Poor 17.8 yr
29 Virginia 27 Poor 15 yr
30 Minnesota 26 Poor 15.9 yr
31 Tennessee 25 Poor 16.7 yr
32 Alabama 24 Poor 14.4 yr
33 Arkansas 24 Poor 17.2 yr
34 Delaware 24 Poor 15.4 yr
35 Missouri 24 Poor 15.6 yr
36 North Dakota 24 Poor 18.2 yr
37 Oregon 24 Poor 16.9 yr
38 Pennsylvania 24 Poor 14.2 yr
39 Wisconsin 24 Poor 14.2 yr
40 Mississippi 23 Poor 15.7 yr
41 Nebraska 23 Poor 16.4 yr
42 South Dakota 23 Poor 17.1 yr
43 Iowa 21 Poor 16.7 yr
44 Kentucky 21 Poor 17.7 yr
45 Idaho 20 Poor 20 yr
46 Michigan 18 Poor 14.4 yr
47 Ohio 18 Poor 16.3 yr
48 West Virginia 18 Poor 19.4 yr
49 Indiana 17 Poor 15.8 yr
50 Washington 14 Poor 26.6 yr
51 Alaska 10 Poor 17 yr

Solar score = irradiance (40%) + incentive count (30%) + payback efficiency (30%). Higher irradiance and more programs with faster payback yield higher scores.

3

States With Fastest Solar Payback

Payback period = net system cost ÷ annual electricity savings. States with high electricity rates and strong incentives achieve payback fastest.

# State Payback
1 Hawaii 5.2 yr
2 California 6.3 yr
3 Connecticut 8.9 yr
4 Massachusetts 9.2 yr
5 Maine 9.3 yr
6 Rhode Island 9.7 yr
7 New Hampshire 9.8 yr
8 Arizona 10.3 yr
9 New Mexico 10.3 yr
10 New York 11.1 yr
11 Vermont 11.5 yr
12 Texas 11.8 yr
13 Nevada 11.9 yr
14 Florida 12 yr
15 Colorado 12.3 yr
16 New Jersey 12.8 yr
17 District of Columbia 13 yr
18 Kansas 13.7 yr
19 South Carolina 14 yr
20 Illinois 14 yr
21 Pennsylvania 14.2 yr
22 Wisconsin 14.2 yr
23 Maryland 14.3 yr
24 North Carolina 14.4 yr
25 Alabama 14.4 yr
26 Michigan 14.4 yr
27 Utah 14.5 yr
28 Georgia 14.5 yr
29 Virginia 15 yr
30 Wyoming 15.3 yr
31 Delaware 15.4 yr
32 Oklahoma 15.5 yr
33 Missouri 15.6 yr
34 Mississippi 15.7 yr
35 Indiana 15.8 yr
36 Minnesota 15.9 yr
37 Montana 16.3 yr
38 Ohio 16.3 yr
39 Nebraska 16.4 yr
40 Tennessee 16.7 yr
41 Iowa 16.7 yr
42 Oregon 16.9 yr
43 Alaska 17 yr
44 South Dakota 17.1 yr
45 Arkansas 17.2 yr
46 Kentucky 17.7 yr
47 Louisiana 17.8 yr
48 North Dakota 18.2 yr
49 West Virginia 19.4 yr
50 Idaho 20 yr
51 Washington 26.6 yr

Payback calculated on 6kW system at state average installed cost (before federal ITC). Actual payback depends on system size, installer pricing, incentives used, and self-consumption ratio.

4

Best States for Net Metering

41 states offer full retail net metering — earning the full electricity rate for exported solar power. Ranked by solar score within this group.

# State Solar Score Payback
1 Arizona 61 10.3 yr
2 New Mexico 57 10.3 yr
3 Nevada 53 11.9 yr
4 Florida 47 12 yr
5 Colorado 45 12.3 yr
6 Connecticut 41 8.9 yr
7 Massachusetts 41 9.2 yr
8 Utah 40 14.5 yr
9 New York 38 11.1 yr
10 Rhode Island 37 9.7 yr
11 Maine 36 9.3 yr
12 New Hampshire 34 9.8 yr
13 New Jersey 34 12.8 yr
14 North Carolina 33 14.4 yr
15 Kansas 32 13.7 yr
16 District of Columbia 32 13 yr
17 Vermont 31 11.5 yr
18 Maryland 29 14.3 yr
19 Montana 29 16.3 yr
20 Oklahoma 29 15.5 yr
21 Illinois 28 14 yr
22 Wyoming 28 15.3 yr
23 Louisiana 27 17.8 yr
24 Virginia 27 15 yr
25 Minnesota 26 15.9 yr
26 Arkansas 24 17.2 yr
27 Delaware 24 15.4 yr
28 Missouri 24 15.6 yr
29 North Dakota 24 18.2 yr
30 Oregon 24 16.9 yr
31 Pennsylvania 24 14.2 yr
32 Wisconsin 24 14.2 yr
33 Nebraska 23 16.4 yr
34 South Dakota 23 17.1 yr
35 Iowa 21 16.7 yr
36 Kentucky 21 17.7 yr
37 Idaho 20 20 yr
38 Michigan 18 14.4 yr
39 Ohio 18 16.3 yr
40 Washington 14 26.6 yr
41 Alaska 10 17 yr

Ranking Methodology

Solar Score (0–100): Composite of irradiance (40%), incentive program count (30%), and payback period efficiency (30%). Higher is better.

Incentive Programs: Count of all active programs in DSIRE USA — includes tax credits, rebates, net metering policies, SRECs, loan programs, and tax exemptions.

Payback Period: Estimated years to break even on a 6kW system at state average installed cost, before federal ITC. Based on annual savings at current electricity rates and estimated production.

Data sources: NREL National Solar Radiation Database (irradiance), EIA Form 861 (electricity rates), DSIRE USA (incentives).

Calculate Your State's ROI Full State Data Table Solar Guides

How these four state rankings differ

The four dimensions ranked on this page measure related but not interchangeable aspects of state-level solar economics. Incentive count reflects only program quantity — a state with 30 utility-level rebates may rank above a state with one well-funded statewide tax credit, even if the latter delivers more dollars per installation. Solar score is a composite of irradiance, electricity rate, and modeled payback designed to capture the underlying physics-and-economics envelope of a state, independent of the specific incentives in force. Payback period isolates speed-to-breakeven for a typical residential 8 kW system, and average electricity rate proxies the dollar value of every kWh that solar offsets.

Because the rankings use different inputs, the same state often appears in very different positions across the four lists. A state with mediocre irradiance but very high electricity rates (Massachusetts, New York, California) can have an excellent payback because each generated kWh offsets an expensive grid kWh. A state with strong irradiance but low electricity rates (Wyoming, Utah, much of the South) can have a long payback because cheap grid power makes the value of solar generation small in absolute dollar terms. A state with many incentive programs but a low solar score (some Northeast states) can still deliver a fast payback when stacked credits compress the upfront cost.

For homeowners evaluating their own ROI, the payback ranking is usually the most decision-relevant — it implicitly accounts for irradiance, rate, and at minimum the federal Investment Tax Credit. For policy researchers, the incentive-count and net-metering rankings show which states have built the deepest policy stack regardless of underlying solar resource. For installers planning market expansion, the combination of high solar score and full net metering identifies states where the per-customer economics are strongest and the regulatory environment is most favorable.

All rankings draw on three public datasets: NREL's National Solar Radiation Database for irradiance, the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Form 861 for state-level average residential electricity rates, and DSIRE for incentive counts and net-metering classifications. Payback periods assume an 8 kW residential system at $3.50 per watt installed (NREL ATB midpoint) and the state's average rate; actual payback varies significantly with utility rate plan, system size, financing, and time-of-use schedules.