Side-by-side distribution
Horticulturist
$22.42/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 40%
- Live roles
- 10
Solar Engineer
$142,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 38.4%
- Live roles
- 86
Highest-paying jobs
Solar PV Project Engineer, Senior or Staff
Avionics Manufacturing Engineer, Solar Array
Senior Solar Array Engineer, Mechanical
Solar Array Test Engineer
Solar Array Engineer
Senior Spacecraft Solar Array Engineer- TeraWave
Senior Power Electronics Engineer – Solar Array - TeraWave
Staff Mechanical Engineer - Solar Mechanisms & Deployables
Sr. Responsible Engineer, Deployment Mechanism – TeraWave Solar Array
Sr Solar Cell Test Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Esri
|
$67,600 | 1 |
City and County of Denver
|
$55,900 | 1 |
University of North Florida
|
$37,357 | 1 |
| BI Biltmore | $37,128 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Blue Origin
|
$173,620 | 8 |
|
Vast
|
$171,406 | 4 |
SpaceX
|
$113,125 | 4 |
| MS Muon Space | $193,000 | 2 |
Granite Construction
|
$93,455 | 2 |
Invenergy
|
$91,250 | 2 |
|
Redwood Materials
|
$206,000 | 1 |
Heirloom Carbon
|
$184,500 | 1 |
Solar Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $174,226 | 3 |
| Denver | $174,226 | 5 |
| Seattle | $173,620 | 8 |
| Chicago | $100,000 | 3 |
Horticulturist vs Solar Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Horticulturist is $22.42/hr per year (typically $17.93/hr–$28.28/hr), versus $142,500 for Solar Engineer ($117,000–$174,226). That puts Solar Engineer about 206% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Horticulturist and Solar Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.