Solar by State

2026 · after the federal tax credit ended

Is solar still worth it in your state?

The 30% federal credit is gone for systems installed after 31 December 2025. What is left is the math: how much sun you get, what your utility charges and pays, and what installers charge. We run it for 25 states with official data, and you can run it for your own bill.

Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit

How long would solar take to pay for itself?

Simple payback

11.4 years

System size
3.2 kW
Installed cost
$10,659
Savings, year one
$936
Net over 25 years
$11,389

Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method

Payback by state

For a home with a $150 monthly bill, sized to cover its yearly use, at each state's median installed cost and export rules. Shorter bars pay back faster.

  1. Hawaii8.0 yrs46.3¢ · 1,669 kWh/kW · Net billing
  2. Massachusetts8.6 yrs30.1¢ · 1,315 kWh/kW · Net metering
  3. Connecticut10.3 yrs28.0¢ · 1,327 kWh/kW · Net metering
  4. New York10.4 yrs29.4¢ · 1,279 kWh/kW · Net metering
  5. California11.4 yrs33.3¢ · 1,676 kWh/kW · Net billing
  6. New Jersey11.6 yrs24.0¢ · 1,325 kWh/kW · Net metering
  7. Pennsylvania13.0 yrs21.0¢ · 1,321 kWh/kW · Net metering
  8. Florida13.6 yrs15.3¢ · 1,487 kWh/kW · Net metering
  9. Colorado13.7 yrs16.7¢ · 1,577 kWh/kW · Net metering
  10. Maryland14.0 yrs21.3¢ · 1,337 kWh/kW · Net metering
  11. Virginia15.0 yrs16.8¢ · 1,424 kWh/kW · Net metering
  12. Minnesota17.2 yrs16.3¢ · 1,286 kWh/kW · Net metering
  13. Nevada17.7 yrs13.5¢ · 1,770 kWh/kW · Net billing
  14. Arizona18.3 yrs15.4¢ · 1,772 kWh/kW · Net billing
  15. Washington18.6 yrs14.4¢ · 1,120 kWh/kW · Net metering
  16. Oregon19.8 yrs15.4¢ · 1,115 kWh/kW · Net metering
  17. South Carolina19.9 yrs15.9¢ · 1,494 kWh/kW · Varies by utility
  18. Michigan20.0 yrs21.5¢ · 1,249 kWh/kW · Net billing
  19. North Carolina21.9 yrs14.9¢ · 1,425 kWh/kW · Net billing
  20. Georgia23.4 yrs15.4¢ · 1,467 kWh/kW · Net billing
  21. Ohio24.9 yrs18.7¢ · 1,266 kWh/kW · Net billing
  22. Illinois25.7 yrs19.2¢ · 1,196 kWh/kW · Net billing
  23. Texas29.7 yrs16.1¢ · 1,445 kWh/kW · Varies by utility
  24. Utah30.6 yrs13.2¢ · 1,490 kWh/kW · Net billing
  25. Wisconsin30.9 yrs19.0¢ · 1,302 kWh/kW · Varies by utility

Electricity prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.B, residential average price, July 2026 YTD. Production: PVGIS 5.2 (European Commission Joint Research Centre) with NSRDB solar radiation data. Installed cost: Berkeley Lab, Distributed Solar & Storage: 2026 Data Update (median installed price, host-owned residential PV installed in 2025). How we calculate.

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