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Open dataset 51 states Live · January 2025

Solar payback, every state ranked.

One household, one model, fifty-one answers. Every row below comes from the same calculator this site runs on — not from an editor's opinion — so the states are directly comparable. Reproduce any row by entering the same inputs on that state's page.

Fastest payback

3.9 yrs

Hawaii · at 1:1 export credit, which Hawaii no longer offers

Median state

11.8 yrs

Midpoint of all 51

Slowest payback

16.5 yrs

Washington

Never break even

0

States, within 25 years

The same household in all 51 states: a $150/month electricity bill, shingle roof, average sun exposure, and no federal tax credit — under current IRS guidance the Section 25D credit is not available for new residential expenditures after 31 December 2025. Only the electricity rate and peak sun hours change between rows. That is what makes the ranking meaningful, and also why your own number will differ: run your actual bill.
Read the ranking with this caveat. The model assumes exported energy is credited at the full retail rate. 8 of these 51 states have replaced that netting outright — exports are bought at avoided cost or a fixed rate well below retail, so their true payback is slower by years. They carry a Netting replaced flag. A further 1 keep the netting but credit exports at a set fraction of retail (Reduced credit) — slower by months, not years. Hover any flag for that state's specific rule. That includes Hawaii, which tops this table precisely because a high retail rate flatters a 1:1 model — treat its position as the ceiling, not the expectation. Modelling each state's actual export rate is on the roadmap; until then this column is the honest version of the caveat.

All 51 ranked

Click any column heading to re-sort.

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# State Rate $/kWh Sun hrs System kW Net cost Year-1 savings Payback 25-yr profit Export credit
1 Hawaii $0.406 6.0 2.53 $7,340 $1,800 3.9 $53,240 Netting replaced
2 California $0.325 5.8 3.27 $9,472 $1,800 5 $51,108 Netting replaced
3 Massachusetts $0.305 4.3 4.70 $13,640 $1,800 7 $46,941 Retail 1:1
4 Rhode Island $0.295 4.3 4.87 $14,112 $1,800 7.3 $46,468 Retail 1:1
5 Connecticut $0.294 4.2 5.00 $14,487 $1,800 7.4 $46,093 Netting replaced
6 Maine $0.278 4.1 5.41 $15,695 $1,800 8 $44,885 Retail 1:1
7 New York $0.264 4.0 5.84 $16,935 $1,800 8.6 $43,645 Retail 1:1
8 New Hampshire $0.246 4.2 5.98 $17,330 $1,800 8.8 $43,250 Retail 1:1
9 Arizona $0.153 6.5 6.19 $17,952 $1,800 9.1 $42,628 Netting replaced
10 New Jersey $0.226 4.3 6.33 $18,371 $1,800 9.2 $42,209 Retail 1:1
11 New Mexico $0.151 6.5 6.29 $18,238 $1,800 9.2 $42,342 Retail 1:1
12 Vermont $0.229 4.1 6.56 $19,023 $1,800 9.5 $41,557 Retail 1:1
13 D.C. $0.219 4.3 6.53 $18,949 $1,800 9.5 $41,631 Retail 1:1
14 Colorado $0.159 5.5 7.07 $20,507 $1,800 10.2 $40,074 Retail 1:1
15 Nevada $0.132 6.4 7.32 $21,241 $1,800 10.5 $39,339 Reduced credit
16 Florida $0.152 5.5 7.35 $21,328 $1,800 10.6 $39,253 Retail 1:1
17 Maryland $0.195 4.3 7.36 $21,342 $1,800 10.6 $39,239 Retail 1:1
18 Texas $0.155 5.3 7.52 $21,803 $1,800 10.8 $38,777 Retail 1:1
19 Michigan $0.200 4.0 7.70 $22,335 $1,800 11 $38,246 Netting replaced
20 Pennsylvania $0.193 4.1 7.79 $22,592 $1,800 11.1 $37,989 Retail 1:1
21 Alaska $0.261 3.0 7.88 $22,840 $1,800 11.2 $37,741 Retail 1:1
22 Utah $0.131 5.8 8.13 $23,582 $1,800 11.5 $36,998 Netting replaced
23 Wisconsin $0.182 4.2 8.08 $23,438 $1,800 11.5 $37,142 Retail 1:1
24 Illinois $0.177 4.2 8.30 $24,061 $1,800 11.7 $36,519 Retail 1:1
25 Alabama $0.161 4.6 8.32 $24,138 $1,800 11.8 $36,442 Retail 1:1
26 Delaware $0.171 4.3 8.37 $24,270 $1,800 11.8 $36,311 Retail 1:1
27 Georgia $0.147 4.9 8.54 $24,768 $1,800 12 $35,812 Retail 1:1
28 Kansas $0.146 5.0 8.47 $24,556 $1,800 12 $36,024 Retail 1:1
29 South Carolina $0.150 4.7 8.77 $25,425 $1,800 12.3 $35,155 Retail 1:1
30 Indiana $0.162 4.3 8.83 $25,615 $1,800 12.4 $34,965 Netting replaced
31 Minnesota $0.158 4.4 8.86 $25,682 $1,800 12.4 $34,898 Retail 1:1
32 Virginia $0.153 4.5 8.97 $25,999 $1,800 12.6 $34,582 Retail 1:1
33 Wyoming $0.134 5.1 9.03 $26,198 $1,800 12.6 $34,383 Retail 1:1
34 Ohio $0.170 4.0 9.09 $26,351 $1,800 12.7 $34,229 Retail 1:1
35 Mississippi $0.140 4.8 9.15 $26,545 $1,800 12.8 $34,035 Retail 1:1
36 Oklahoma $0.131 5.1 9.21 $26,717 $1,800 12.9 $33,864 Retail 1:1
37 North Carolina $0.140 4.7 9.35 $27,129 $1,800 13 $33,451 Retail 1:1
38 West Virginia $0.154 4.2 9.52 $27,621 $1,800 13.2 $32,960 Retail 1:1
39 Missouri $0.135 4.7 9.72 $28,195 $1,800 13.5 $32,385 Retail 1:1
40 Louisiana $0.126 4.9 10.01 $29,024 $1,800 13.8 $31,556 Netting replaced
41 South Dakota $0.134 4.6 10.02 $29,045 $1,800 13.8 $31,535 Retail 1:1
42 Montana $0.130 4.7 10.10 $29,303 $1,800 13.9 $31,277 Retail 1:1
43 Arkansas $0.128 4.7 10.21 $29,623 $1,800 14 $30,958 Retail 1:1
44 Iowa $0.137 4.4 10.21 $29,613 $1,800 14 $30,967 Retail 1:1
45 Tennessee $0.132 4.6 10.17 $29,486 $1,800 14 $31,094 Retail 1:1
46 Oregon $0.154 3.9 10.28 $29,823 $1,800 14.1 $30,757 Retail 1:1
47 Nebraska $0.123 4.8 10.41 $30,181 $1,800 14.3 $30,399 Retail 1:1
48 Idaho $0.118 4.9 10.64 $30,866 $1,800 14.5 $29,715 Retail 1:1
49 Kentucky $0.132 4.4 10.58 $30,686 $1,800 14.5 $29,894 Retail 1:1
50 North Dakota $0.118 4.4 11.86 $34,402 $1,800 15.9 $26,178 Retail 1:1
51 Washington $0.131 3.8 12.37 $35,884 $1,800 16.5 $24,696 Retail 1:1

Rates from EIA, peak sun hours from NREL NSRDB, snapshot January 2025. Projection assumes 2.9%/yr electricity inflation and 0.5%/yr panel degradation, and 1-for-1 retail-rate export credit. States under net-billing regimes such as California NEM 3.0 will be slower in practice — see the net metering guide. Full workings in the methodology.

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This table is free to reproduce, quote, chart, or build on — in articles, videos, forum posts, research, or classroom material — for any purpose including commercial, provided you credit GetSolarCalc and link back to this page. Released under CC BY 4.0. The CSV carries the same terms in its header rows.

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Suggested citation: GetSolarCalc, Solar payback by state, January 2025. https://getsolarcalc.com/solar-payback-by-state.php

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