States Where the Most People Have Solar Panels

The price of electricity for residential consumers has spiked in recent years in the United States. According to the Energy Information Administration, one kilowatt hour of electricity cost an average of 17.3 cents in 2025, up 38% from a decade earlier – and industry experts predict that the pace of cost increases will only accelerate in the coming years. 

A single data center used to power artificial intelligence can use as much electricity in a single year as thousands of average American households – and tech giants are racing to build these facilities across the United States. According to a recent report from the Virginia-based consulting firm ICF International, the resulting surge in electricity demand could raise consumer electricity rates by as much as 40% within the next five years. Notably, however, dependence on utility companies and ever-rising prices are not an inevitability, as millions of Americans are lowering their monthly energy bills by investing in solar power. 

Between 2010 and 2025, solar panels have become 40% more efficient and 60% less expensive, and now, solar power is the cheapest source of electricity in history, according to the International Energy Agency. While installation of residential solar panels can have an upfront cost of more than $10,000, the increased energy independence that solar systems provide can save homeowners tens of thousands of dollars in electricity bills over the long term. Solar panels are also a clean energy source that reduce the owner’s carbon footprint while increasing the value of their home. Currently, more than 4.2 million American homes have solar panels installed, and in certain states, solar adoption rates are especially high. 

Using data from Solar Insure, a financial services company for the renewable energy sector, Climate Crisis 247 identified the states where the most homeowners rely on solar panels. States are ranked by the number of homes with installed solar systems in 2024 as a share of all occupied housing units. Housing unit data are 1-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. Supplemental data on average residential retail electricity prices are from the EIA and are current as of October 2025. Data on average sun exposure are 17 year annual averages calculated using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. 

Among the 10 states on this list, the share of homes with solar panels ranges from 5.1% to nearly 20%. These states include those that have both high annual sunlight exposure and those with high electricity prices. 

10. New Jersey

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 5.1% (181,294 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 22.6 cents per kilowatt hour (11th highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,071 kilojoules per square meter (20th lowest of the 50 states)

9. Colorado

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 5.4% (134,729 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 16.3 cents per kilowatt hour (23rd highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,894 kilojoules per square meter (4th highest of the 50 states)

8. Massachusetts

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 5.6% (158,723 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 31.4 cents per kilowatt hour (3rd highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 2,801 kilojoules per square meter (10th lowest of the 50 states)

7. Connecticut

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 6.0% (87,137 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 27.7 cents per kilowatt hour (6th highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 2,856 kilojoules per square meter (13th lowest of the 50 states)

6. Utah

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 6.1% (71,815 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 13.7 cents per kilowatt hour (10th lowest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,646 kilojoules per square meter (9th highest of the 50 states)

5. New Mexico

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 6.1% (52,409 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 14.9 cents per kilowatt hour (18th lowest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,953 kilojoules per square meter (3rd highest of the 50 states)

4. Nevada

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 8.9% (110,687 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 13.8 cents per kilowatt hour (11th lowest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,662 kilojoules per square meter (8th highest of the 50 states)

3. Arizona

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 9.7% (290,786 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (22nd lowest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,975 kilojoules per square meter (2nd highest of the 50 states)

2. California

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 13.5% (1,866,359 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 33.6 cents per kilowatt hour (2nd highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 3,772 kilojoules per square meter (6th highest of the 50 states)

1. Hawaii

• Estimated number of housing units with solar panels installed: 19.6% (96,622 total)
• Avg. retail price of electricity for residential use: 39.7 cents per kilowatt hour (the highest of the 50 states)
• Avg. annual exposure to energy from sunlight: 4,477 kilojoules per square meter (the highest of the 50 states)