This table compares 51 states and Washington, D.C. side by side — annual savings, payback period, and 10- and 25-year net savings. Click any column header to re-sort; default order is alphabetical by state (A–Z), with a US average at the bottom. The table starts with major solar markets; use Show all states to expand the full list.
Payback is how long until your savings cover the upfront cost. After that, every dollar saved is money in your pocket. States with strong sunshine, high retail electricity prices, and lower illustrative install costs in our model break even fastest — big annual savings against a manageable system price means a short payback.
For solar panels alone, the fastest payback states are Vermont (5.7 yrs), Massachusetts (5.8 yrs) and Rhode Island (5.9 yrs).
With a home battery, the fastest payback states are Hawaii (7.0 yrs), California (10.4 yrs) and Connecticut (11.9 yrs).
Payback is just the starting line. The real value is the decades of savings that follow — and the rankings can look quite different.
For solar alone, the highest 25-year net savings are in Massachusetts ($81784), Rhode Island ($79566) and Vermont ($77150) — mostly a mix of high retail electricity prices, export rates, and sun in our model. Every kWh you avoid buying from the grid saves more, and surplus power earns more when export payments are higher; sunny states also produce more kWh to sell or self-use.
With a battery, the highest 25-year net savings are in Hawaii ($105514), California ($43401) and Connecticut ($27479) — where rankings lean more on expensive grid power and how much solar each state generates. Stored solar is valued at full grid price in our model, so high retail rates plus strong annual output tend to win; export rates matter less because less surplus goes straight to the grid.
Use the toggle below to switch between solar-only and solar + battery scenarios. All figures are in US dollars. Click any state name for local detail, or see how export values work for the story behind the numbers. You can also compare solar savings by country.
| State | Price estimate (USD) | Sun kWh/kW/d | Retail grid (USD) | Export (FiT) (USD) | Buy − sell (USD) | Annual savings (USD) | Payback (yrs) | 10-yr net savings (USD) | 25-yr net savings (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $19116 | 4.33 | $0.13 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $1988 | 9.6 | $322 | $27713 |
| California | $26550 | 4.20 | $0.27 | $0.05 | $0.22 | $2354 | 11.3 | −$3530 | $28907 |
| Florida | $19116 | 4.38 | $0.13 | $0.08 | $0.05 | $2192 | 8.7 | $2319 | $32523 |
| Hawaii | $26550 | 4.51 | $0.38 | $0.12 | $0.26 | $4387 | 6.1 | $16342 | $76780 |
| Massachusetts | $26550 | 4.10 | $0.22 | $0.20 | $0.02 | $4599 | 5.8 | $18419 | $81784 |
| Nevada | $19116 | 4.18 | $0.12 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $1702 | 11.2 | −$2478 | $20968 |
| New Jersey | $24426 | 4.15 | $0.18 | $0.13 | $0.05 | $3228 | 7.6 | $7133 | $51601 |
| New York | $26550 | 4.09 | $0.23 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $3289 | 8.1 | $5613 | $50934 |
| North Carolina | $21240 | 4.27 | $0.11 | $0.09 | $0.02 | $2214 | 9.6 | $404 | $30902 |
| Texas | $19116 | 4.38 | $0.12 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $1767 | 10.8 | −$1835 | $22515 |
| US average | $21948 | 4.16 | $0.15 | $0.09 | $0.05 | $2380 | 10.2 | $1321 | $34108 |
| Arizona | $40932 | 4.33 | $0.13 | $0.10 | $0.03 | $2703 | 15.1 | −$15379 | −$3597 |
| California | $56850 | 4.20 | $0.27 | $0.20 | $0.07 | $5470 | 10.4 | −$5188 | $43401 |
| Florida | $40932 | 4.38 | $0.13 | $0.10 | $0.03 | $2730 | 15.0 | −$15118 | −$2969 |
| Hawaii | $56850 | 4.51 | $0.38 | $0.28 | $0.10 | $8182 | 7.0 | $20589 | $105514 |
| Massachusetts | $56850 | 4.10 | $0.22 | $0.17 | $0.05 | $4366 | 13.0 | −$15638 | $18219 |
| Nevada | $40932 | 4.18 | $0.12 | $0.09 | $0.03 | $2421 | 16.9 | −$18068 | −$10075 |
| New Jersey | $52302 | 4.15 | $0.18 | $0.14 | $0.04 | $3609 | 14.5 | −$18222 | $5581 |
| New York | $56850 | 4.09 | $0.23 | $0.17 | $0.06 | $4555 | 12.5 | −$13858 | $22511 |
| North Carolina | $45480 | 4.27 | $0.11 | $0.08 | $0.03 | $2260 | 20.1 | −$24123 | −$18257 |
| Texas | $40932 | 4.38 | $0.12 | $0.09 | $0.03 | $2520 | 16.3 | −$17104 | −$7753 |
| US average | $46996 | 4.16 | $0.15 | $0.11 | $0.04 | $2935 | 17.1 | −$19279 | −$4445 |
Represents the estimated average value of each solar kWh when a battery is installed. A battery allows more solar energy to be used in the home and less to be exported, increasing the value of each kWh generated. This is a blended modelling assumption, not a utility tariff, export rate, or battery payment.
Year 0 is the upfront system cost (after rebates), shown as a negative number. Each later year adds bill savings with the same 0.5% / year panel and 3% / year battery degradation as the table. For solar + battery, a dip at year 13 is one battery replacement. By default the chart shows the three highest and three lowest 25-year outcomes among states, plus the US average. Use Show all lines for every state.
The table and chart above follow whichever option you pick in the Scenario toggle (solar only vs solar + battery).
Every row uses the same reference home so you can compare states fairly: 15 kW solar, 30 kWh per day usage, and mid-range equipment. Solar only uses no battery; solar + battery adds a 20 kWh home battery. We assume 50% self-consumption from solar. Surplus is exported at each state’s illustrative new-customer export rate. In the solar + battery scenario, the solar + battery value column shows a blended average value per kWh generated (not an export tariff): more solar is used in the home, and any remaining exports are valued at about 75% of retail grid. 10- and 25-year savings include panel degradation (~0.5%/yr) and, with a battery, one replacement at year 13. Figures are in USD and are not quotes.
State-level solar cost differences are primarily driven by soft costs (labor, permitting, and regulatory friction), which are well-established as the dominant source of US residential solar cost variation (U.S. Department of Energy), making a tiered multiplier a valid directional abstraction.
Retail rates are based on EIA state averages; export rates are directional policy-based estimates (not utility-specific tariffs). See also solar savings by country.
Hawaii: New customers on Hawaiian Electric use time-varying Smart DER Export credits (locked for seven years on new contracts). Daytime exports on Oahu are often about 13–14¢/kWh; Maui, Hawaii Island, and other islands differ, and evening exports can be higher. We use a single illustrative 12¢/kWh export rate in the table so states stay comparable—check your island and utility tariff for exact credits.
If retail rates, export assumptions, or install costs in your state look off compared with what you see locally, we would like to hear from you. Share comments, corrections, or real-world numbers on our community forum — we read every reply and use feedback to improve these comparisons over time.
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