Solar by state
The same $200/month bill in every state we cover, paid in cash, installed in 2026 with no federal credit. Ranked by payback. Click a state for the full breakdown.
| State | Rate | Yield | System | Net cost | Payback | 25-yr net | Data notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29.49¢ | 1291 | 5.93 kW | $12,266 | 5.5 yr | $54,330 | 1 unverified |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | 1302 | 5.85 kW | $16,029 | 7.1 yr | $50,567 | 1 unverified |
| New Jersey | 24.95¢ | 1305 | 6.93 kW | $17,876 | 7.9 yr | $48,720 | 1 unverified |
| California | 34.74¢ | 1677 | 3.87 kW | $9,603 | 8.1 yr | $24,525 | 1 unverified |
| Maryland | 21.84¢ | 1392 | 7.42 kW | $19,442 | 8.5 yr | $47,154 | 1 unverified |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73¢ | 1359 | 7.64 kW | $19,710 | 8.6 yr | $46,886 | 1 unverified |
| Connecticut | 24.32¢ | 1252 | 7.41 kW | $20,153 | 8.8 yr | $46,443 | 1 unverified |
| Florida | 15.1¢ | 1544 | 9.68 kW | $20,514 | 8.9 yr | $46,082 | 2 unverified |
| Texas | 15.94¢ | 1506 | 9.4 kW | $20,863 | 9.6 yr | $41,404 | 1 unverified |
| Illinois | 19.89¢ | 1308 | 8.67 kW | $25,841 | 11.1 yr | $40,755 | 1 unverified |
| Arizona | 15.18¢ | 1755 | 8.47 kW | $17,715 | 12.1 yr | $27,237 | 1 unverified |
Guides
- The federal solar tax credit in 2026
Gone for buyers, still 30% for leases. What ended, what survives, computed and cited.
- Lease, loan or cash for solar in 2026
The three ways to pay, run on the same house, year by year, in every state we publish.
- What solar costs in 2026
Two price bases, by state and by bill, and why they are 60% apart.
- Solar payback in 2026
How it is computed, what moves it, and the state ranking - rate beats sunshine.
- State solar incentives in 2026
Which states still pay a buyer, what they pay, and where there is nothing - each from its own source.
- Is a home battery worth it in 2026?
Where storage changes the maths and where it does not, with the assumptions in the open.
Rate: residential average, EIA 2026-06. Yield: kWh per kW per year at a statewide default, PVWatts v8 (verified). The pattern to notice: the electricity rate predicts payback far better than the sunshine does. Massachusetts beats Arizona.