Solar Potential Rankings, All 50 States

Dual rankings by composite solar score and modeled payback, drawing on 2024 U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory NSRDB, U.S. Energy Information Administration retail electricity data, and DSIRE Database of State Incentives. Covering all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. According to SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) and Wood Mackenzie's U.S. Solar Market Insight report, the U.S. surpassed 5,000,000 cumulative solar installations as of 2024. Average annual solar irradiance in this directory ranges from 3.4 to 6.5 kWh/m²/day across 51 jurisdictions, per the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory NSRDB (National Solar Radiation Database, 2024 release). See our methodology for the exact score formula.

Download the compiled EIA solar nameplate extract cited on this page: eia-solar-state-capacity.csv (CC0; underlying EIA, NREL, and DSIRE fields remain public-source).

Score vs payback

Hawaii leads the composite solar score (67), while Hawaii posts the shortest modeled payback (5.2 years). Irradiance-weighted score and cash-recovery years answer different questions, pair both tables below.

Highest solar score

# State Score
1 Hawaii 67
2 California 66
3 Arizona 61
4 New Mexico 57
5 Nevada 53
6 Texas 49
7 Florida 47
8 Colorado 45
9 Connecticut Partial program list 41
10 Massachusetts 41
11 Utah 40
12 New York 38

Partial program list. Program counts are PlainSolarData's own curated list of tracked programs (compiled from DSIRE), not the full DSIRE registry, and the list is shorter for some states, so a low count can reflect what is tracked and not what exists. One state here is marked: Connecticut (no net-metering entry although its net metering is classed full). How the score is built.

Fastest modeled payback

Years to recover a typical 6 kW system at state average retail rates; not a household quote.

# State Years
1 Hawaii 5.2
2 California 6.3
3 Connecticut 8.9
4 Massachusetts 9.2
5 Maine 9.3
6 Rhode Island 9.7
7 New Hampshire 9.8
8 Arizona 10.3
9 New Mexico 10.3
10 New York 11.1
11 Vermont 11.5
12 Texas 11.8
Sort by: Solar score Most sunshine Highest electric rate Fastest payback Most incentive programs Name (A-Z)

Showing all 50 states plus the District of Columbia · sorted by Solar score

# State Score ☀️ kWh/m²/d Payback
1 Hawaii 67 Good 5.9 5.2 yr
2 California 66 Good 5.8 6.3 yr
3 Arizona 61 Good 6.5 10.3 yr
4 New Mexico 57 Fair 6.4 10.3 yr
5 Nevada 53 Fair 6.2 11.9 yr
6 Texas 49 Fair 5.7 11.8 yr
7 Florida 47 Fair 5.6 12 yr
8 Colorado 45 Fair 5.5 12.3 yr
9 Connecticut Partial program list 41 Fair 4.1 8.9 yr
10 Massachusetts 41 Fair 4.2 9.2 yr
11 Utah 40 Fair 5.9 14.5 yr
12 New York 38 Poor 4.4 11.1 yr
13 Rhode Island 37 Poor 4.2 9.7 yr
14 Maine 36 Poor 4.3 9.3 yr
15 New Hampshire 34 Poor 4.2 9.8 yr
16 New Jersey 34 Poor 4.5 12.8 yr
17 South Carolina 34 Poor 5.2 14 yr
18 North Carolina 33 Poor 5.2 14.4 yr
19 Kansas 32 Poor 5.2 13.7 yr
20 District of Columbia 32 Poor 4.4 13 yr
21 Georgia 31 Poor 5.3 14.5 yr
22 Vermont 31 Poor 4.1 11.5 yr
23 Maryland 29 Poor 4.5 14.3 yr
24 Montana 29 Poor 5.0 16.3 yr
25 Oklahoma 29 Poor 5.3 15.5 yr
26 Illinois 28 Poor 4.3 14 yr
27 Wyoming Partial program list 28 Poor 5.5 15.3 yr
28 Louisiana 27 Poor 5.1 17.8 yr
29 Virginia 27 Poor 4.8 15 yr
30 Minnesota 26 Poor 4.4 15.9 yr
31 Tennessee Partial program list 25 Poor 4.9 16.7 yr
32 Alabama Partial program list 24 Poor 4.9 14.4 yr
33 Arkansas 24 Poor 4.8 17.2 yr
34 Delaware 24 Poor 4.5 15.4 yr
35 Missouri 24 Poor 4.8 15.6 yr
36 North Dakota 24 Poor 4.8 18.2 yr
37 Oregon 24 Poor 4.5 16.9 yr
38 Pennsylvania 24 Poor 4.3 14.2 yr
39 Wisconsin 24 Poor 4.3 14.2 yr
40 Mississippi Partial program list 23 Poor 5.0 15.7 yr
41 Nebraska Partial program list 23 Poor 5.0 16.4 yr
42 South Dakota Partial program list 23 Poor 5.0 17.1 yr
43 Iowa 21 Poor 4.5 16.7 yr
44 Kentucky 21 Poor 4.5 17.7 yr
45 Idaho Partial program list 20 Poor 4.7 20 yr
46 Michigan 18 Poor 4.0 14.4 yr
47 Ohio 18 Poor 4.2 16.3 yr
48 West Virginia 18 Poor 4.2 19.4 yr
49 Indiana Partial program list 17 Poor 4.4 15.8 yr
50 Washington 14 Poor 3.5 26.6 yr
51 Alaska Partial program list 10 Poor 3.4 17 yr

Partial program list. Program counts are PlainSolarData's own curated list of tracked programs (compiled from DSIRE), not the full DSIRE registry, and the list is shorter for some states, so a low count can reflect what is tracked and not what exists. 10 states here are marked: Connecticut (no net-metering entry although its net metering is classed full); Wyoming (1 tracked program); Tennessee (no net-metering entry although its net metering is classed partial); Alabama (1 tracked program; no net-metering entry although its net metering is classed partial); Mississippi (1 tracked program); Nebraska (1 tracked program); South Dakota (1 tracked program); Idaho (1 tracked program); Indiana (1 tracked program); Alaska (no net-metering entry although its net metering is classed full). How the score is built.

Score key: Excellent (80–100)Good (60–79)Fair (40–59)Poor (0–39)

Sources: NREL National Solar Radiation Database, EIA Form 861 (2024), DSIRE USA. Solar score = irradiance (40%) + incentive count (30%) + payback period (30%). Calculate your personalized ROI →

State directory FAQ

Which state has the highest solar potential score?
Hawaii leads this directory at a solar score of 67. The score weights NREL irradiance (40%), DSIRE incentive count (30%), and modeled payback (30%).
Which state has the fastest modeled solar payback?
Hawaii posts the shortest modeled payback at 5.2 years for a typical 6 kW system at state average retail rates. Payback is not a household quote.
Do the top score and fastest-payback states always match?
Compare both tables below. Irradiance-heavy states and high-rate markets often diverge.
How many jurisdictions does this hub cover?
This directory lists 51 jurisdictions (all 50 states plus the District of Columbia) with NREL irradiance, EIA retail rates, and DSIRE program counts.