Is solar worth it in your state?
Payback years for a typical 7.7 kW home system in all 50 states and DC, from each state's electricity price and how much sun it gets. Shortest payback: Hawaii (5.5 years), California (7.8 years), Rhode Island (11.0 years).
| State | Electricity price | Yearly output, 7.7 kW | First-year savings | Payback (partial net metering) | Payback (full net metering) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 46.4¢/kWh | 13,140 kWh | $4,880 | 5.5 years | 4.4 years |
| California | 32.6¢/kWh | 12,910 kWh | $3,370 | 7.8 years | 6.3 years |
| Rhode Island | 29.1¢/kWh | 10,040 kWh | $2,330 | 11.0 years | 9.0 years |
| Massachusetts | 30.2¢/kWh | 9,660 kWh | $2,330 | 11.0 years | 9.0 years |
| Maine | 30.2¢/kWh | 9,390 kWh | $2,270 | 11.3 years | 9.2 years |
| New York | 29.3¢/kWh | 9,520 kWh | $2,230 | 11.5 years | 9.3 years |
| Connecticut | 27.5¢/kWh | 9,780 kWh | $2,150 | 11.9 years | 9.7 years |
| Washington, DC | 24.9¢/kWh | 10,210 kWh | $2,030 | 12.5 years | 10.2 years |
| New Hampshire | 26.9¢/kWh | 9,360 kWh | $2,020 | 12.6 years | 10.3 years |
| New Jersey | 24.1¢/kWh | 9,880 kWh | $1,900 | 13.3 years | 10.8 years |
| Vermont | 23.9¢/kWh | 9,190 kWh | $1,760 | 14.3 years | 11.6 years |
| Maryland | 21.3¢/kWh | 10,130 kWh | $1,730 | 14.5 years | 11.8 years |
| Arizona | 15.4¢/kWh | 13,840 kWh | $1,700 | 14.7 years | 12.0 years |
| New Mexico | 15.3¢/kWh | 13,440 kWh | $1,650 | 15.1 years | 12.3 years |
| Michigan | 21.7¢/kWh | 9,420 kWh | $1,640 | 15.2 years | 12.4 years |
| Colorado | 16.8¢/kWh | 12,190 kWh | $1,640 | 15.2 years | 12.4 years |
| Pennsylvania | 21.1¢/kWh | 9,480 kWh | $1,600 | 15.5 years | 12.7 years |
| Illinois | 19.2¢/kWh | 10,000 kWh | $1,540 | 16.1 years | 13.2 years |
| Texas | 16.0¢/kWh | 11,670 kWh | $1,500 | 16.5 years | 13.5 years |
| Alaska | 27.3¢/kWh | 6,820 kWh | $1,490 | 16.5 years | 13.5 years |
| Wisconsin | 19.1¢/kWh | 9,660 kWh | $1,470 | 16.7 years | 13.7 years |
| Delaware | 18.0¢/kWh | 10,230 kWh | $1,470 | 16.7 years | 13.7 years |
| Alabama | 16.5¢/kWh | 10,970 kWh | $1,450 | 17.0 years | 13.9 years |
| Ohio | 18.8¢/kWh | 9,580 kWh | $1,440 | 17.0 years | 14.0 years |
| South Carolina | 15.9¢/kWh | 11,170 kWh | $1,420 | 17.2 years | 14.1 years |
| Florida | 15.3¢/kWh | 11,500 kWh | $1,410 | 17.4 years | 14.2 years |
| Virginia | 17.0¢/kWh | 10,320 kWh | $1,400 | 17.5 years | 14.3 years |
| Nevada | 13.4¢/kWh | 12,950 kWh | $1,380 | 17.7 years | 14.5 years |
| Georgia | 15.5¢/kWh | 11,090 kWh | $1,370 | 17.8 years | 14.6 years |
| Kansas | 15.3¢/kWh | 11,220 kWh | $1,370 | 17.8 years | 14.6 years |
| Indiana | 17.0¢/kWh | 9,890 kWh | $1,350 | 18.1 years | 14.8 years |
| Mississippi | 15.1¢/kWh | 11,000 kWh | $1,330 | 18.3 years | 15.0 years |
| Oregon | 15.5¢/kWh | 10,560 kWh | $1,310 | 18.6 years | 15.3 years |
| Utah | 13.2¢/kWh | 12,310 kWh | $1,300 | 18.7 years | 15.3 years |
| Minnesota | 16.4¢/kWh | 9,830 kWh | $1,290 | 18.8 years | 15.4 years |
| North Carolina | 14.9¢/kWh | 10,750 kWh | $1,280 | 18.8 years | 15.5 years |
| Wyoming | 14.0¢/kWh | 11,430 kWh | $1,280 | 18.9 years | 15.5 years |
| Oklahoma | 13.8¢/kWh | 11,440 kWh | $1,260 | 19.1 years | 15.7 years |
| South Dakota | 14.6¢/kWh | 10,580 kWh | $1,230 | 19.5 years | 16.0 years |
| West Virginia | 15.6¢/kWh | 9,780 kWh | $1,220 | 19.7 years | 16.2 years |
| Missouri | 14.3¢/kWh | 10,530 kWh | $1,200 | 20.0 years | 16.4 years |
| Iowa | 14.6¢/kWh | 10,260 kWh | $1,190 | 20.1 years | 16.5 years |
| Arkansas | 13.7¢/kWh | 10,790 kWh | $1,190 | 20.2 years | 16.6 years |
| Louisiana | 13.3¢/kWh | 11,030 kWh | $1,170 | 20.4 years | 16.8 years |
| Montana | 14.1¢/kWh | 10,360 kWh | $1,170 | 20.4 years | 16.8 years |
| Idaho | 13.0¢/kWh | 11,100 kWh | $1,160 | 20.6 years | 17.0 years |
| Tennessee | 13.8¢/kWh | 10,450 kWh | $1,150 | 20.7 years | 17.0 years |
| Kentucky | 14.2¢/kWh | 10,130 kWh | $1,150 | 20.7 years | 17.1 years |
| Nebraska | 12.9¢/kWh | 10,930 kWh | $1,130 | 21.1 years | 17.4 years |
| Washington | 14.4¢/kWh | 9,700 kWh | $1,120 | 21.2 years | 17.5 years |
| North Dakota | 12.5¢/kWh | 10,200 kWh | $1,020 | 23.0 years | 19.0 years |
At the median installed price of $3.60 per watt ($27,720 for 7.7 kW) with no federal tax credit. A cash price nearer $3.00 per watt shortens every payback by about a sixth.
How we work it out
- Sunlight: NASA POWER all-sky solar irradiance climatology (2001-2025), calibrated to NREL PVWatts v8 (fixed roof array, 20 degree tilt, south-facing, 14% losses). Our estimate was within about 6% of PVWatts at eight test locations from Honolulu to Anchorage. Shade, a roof that faces east or west, or a steeper or flatter roof all change the real figure.
- Electricity price: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, residential, year to date through August 2026 (cents per kWh). We assume it rises 2% a year, and the panels lose 0.5% of their output a year.
- Installed price: median of $3.60 per watt before incentives for homeowner-owned systems ($3.00 for cash purchases, $4.50 for loan-financed), and a median system size of 7.7 kW. Source: Berkeley Lab, U.S. Distributed Solar and Storage, 2026 data update (2025 installs, host-owned, before incentives).
- Tax credit: none. The 30% federal credit for homeowners (Section 25D) ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. Leases and power purchase agreements are priced differently and are not modeled here.
- Net metering: "Full" values every kWh at your retail rate. "Partial" assumes you use 60% of the power at home and the rest is credited at half the rate; "Low" credits exports at a quarter. Your utility's rules decide which is closest.
- Not included: batteries, financing costs, insurance, inverter replacement (often needed once in 25 years), local permits or state rebates. Get at least two written quotes before you decide.
