Solar production and payback by state
Yearly output of 1 kW of south-facing panels at a 20° pitch in a reference city for each state (14% system losses, NLR PVWatts v8 (U.S. DOE National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL)), July 2026 average residential electricity price (U.S. EIA), and the payback for an example 7 kW system at $3,000/kW with full net metering. Click a state for the details and assumptions.
| # | State | kWh/kW·yr | Price | Example payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 1,779 | 16.09¢ | 11.5 years |
| 2 | Arizona | 1,755 | 15.38¢ | 12.0 years |
| 3 | Nevada | 1,753 | 12.77¢ | 14.1 years |
| 4 | California | 1,677 | 33.61¢ | 5.8 years |
| 5 | Hawaii | 1,622 | 48.00¢ | 4.1 years |
| 6 | Colorado | 1,595 | 17.00¢ | 10.9 years |
| 7 | Florida | 1,544 | 15.03¢ | 12.3 years |
| 8 | Wyoming | 1,533 | 14.36¢ | 12.9 years |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,527 | 14.35¢ | 12.9 years |
| 10 | Kansas | 1,526 | 15.27¢ | 12.2 years |
| 11 | Utah | 1,484 | 13.12¢ | 14.4 years |
| 12 | Louisiana | 1,479 | 12.72¢ | 14.8 years |
| 13 | Idaho | 1,456 | 13.73¢ | 14.0 years |
| 14 | North Carolina | 1,446 | 15.16¢ | 12.9 years |
| 15 | South Carolina | 1,446 | 15.47¢ | 12.6 years |
| 16 | Missouri | 1,433 | 16.09¢ | 12.3 years |
| 17 | Virginia | 1,427 | 17.55¢ | 11.4 years |
| 18 | Nebraska | 1,423 | 13.78¢ | 14.3 years |
| 19 | Texas | 1,421 | 15.88¢ | 12.5 years |
| 20 | Mississippi | 1,414 | 14.54¢ | 13.7 years |
| 21 | Arkansas | 1,413 | 14.33¢ | 13.9 years |
| 22 | District of Columbia | 1,411 | 25.21¢ | 8.2 years |
| 23 | South Dakota | 1,409 | 15.37¢ | 13.0 years |
| 24 | Georgia | 1,402 | 16.27¢ | 12.4 years |
| 25 | Maryland | 1,392 | 21.41¢ | 9.7 years |
| 26 | Iowa | 1,370 | 15.99¢ | 12.9 years |
| 27 | Alabama | 1,367 | 16.40¢ | 12.6 years |
| 28 | Delaware | 1,363 | 18.48¢ | 11.3 years |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | 1,359 | 21.72¢ | 9.7 years |
| 30 | Kentucky | 1,355 | 13.81¢ | 14.9 years |
| 31 | Montana | 1,344 | 14.99¢ | 13.9 years |
| 32 | Tennessee | 1,339 | 13.71¢ | 15.2 years |
| 33 | Indiana | 1,335 | 16.73¢ | 12.7 years |
| 34 | Wisconsin | 1,334 | 19.06¢ | 11.2 years |
| 35 | Minnesota | 1,333 | 17.45¢ | 12.2 years |
| 36 | Maine | 1,319 | 32.41¢ | 6.8 years |
| 37 | Ohio | 1,310 | 19.45¢ | 11.2 years |
| 38 | Illinois | 1,308 | 19.22¢ | 11.3 years |
| 39 | New Jersey | 1,306 | 25.19¢ | 8.8 years |
| 40 | Massachusetts | 1,302 | 30.49¢ | 7.3 years |
| 41 | North Dakota | 1,294 | 13.41¢ | 16.0 years |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 1,294 | 28.29¢ | 7.9 years |
| 43 | New York | 1,291 | 29.90¢ | 7.5 years |
| 44 | Michigan | 1,291 | 23.05¢ | 9.7 years |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 1,259 | 26.60¢ | 8.6 years |
| 46 | Connecticut | 1,252 | 24.16¢ | 9.5 years |
| 47 | West Virginia | 1,232 | 15.78¢ | 14.4 years |
| 48 | Vermont | 1,222 | 23.75¢ | 9.9 years |
| 49 | Oregon | 1,128 | 15.97¢ | 15.4 years |
| 50 | Washington | 1,088 | 14.71¢ | 17.2 years |
| 51 | Alaska | 922 | 28.83¢ | 10.8 years |