Panel Technician Salary in the United States

How much does a Panel Technician make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Panel Technician in the United States is $64,649 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.

However, a Panel Technician's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $76,802
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $57,136 to $71,010
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $50,297

Key Factors That Influence Panel Technician Salaries

A Panel Technician's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Panel Technician Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Panel Technician's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $56,012
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $65,170
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $71,847
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $84,085
  • Expert (over 8 years): $84,645
Levels Salary
Electrici... Level Panel Technician$56,012
Panel Tec... Level Panel Technician$65,170
Electrici... Level Panel Technician$71,847
Electrici... Level Panel Technician$84,085
Electrica... Level Panel Technician$84,645

How Do Panel Technician Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Panel Technicians. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $71,579.
  • California: $71,307.
  • Massachusetts: $70,357.

Top Paying Cities for Panel Technicians

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $81,541
  • San Francisco: $80,648
  • Oakland: $78,949

What Skills Can Increase a Panel Technician's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Customer Service (Mentioned in 8.21% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
  • Site Survey (Mentioned in 4.38% Job Postings): Site surveys are inspections of an area where work is proposed, to gather information for a design or an estimate to complete the initial tasks required for an outdoor activity. It can determine a precise location, access, best orientation for the site and the location of obstacles. The type of site survey and the best practices required depend on the nature of the project. Examples of projects requiring a preliminary site survey include urban construction, specialized construction (such as the location for a telescope) and wireless network design. In hydrocarbon exploration, for example, site surveys are run over the proposed locations of offshore exploration or appraisal wells. They consist typically of a tight grid of high resolution (high frequency) reflection seismology profiles to look for possible gas hazards in the shallow section beneath the seabed and detailed bathymetric data to look for possible obstacles on the seafloor (e.g. shipwrecks, existing pipelines) using multibeam echosounders.
  • Pneumatics (Mentioned in 1.84% Job Postings): Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
Skills Demand Percentage
Customer Service 8.21%
Site Survey 4.38%
Pneumatics 1.84%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Panel Technician's salary.

  • Resilience: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Commercial Sales: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Site Survey: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Resilience $67,235
4%
Commercial Sales $66,588
3%
Site Survey $66,588
3%

Panel Technician Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Panel Technician roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Energy & Utilities sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Panel Technician positions in MFG Nondurable or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Panel Technician as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Panel Technician

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$77,578$37.020%
Energy & Utilities$74,346$36.015%
Biotechnology$71,113$34.010%
Insurance$71,113$34.010%
Internet$71,113$34.010%

How Education impacts a Panel Technician's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Panel Technicians enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Panel Technician with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $65,461 and $70,392).

Panel Technician Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Panel Technician
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 69.6%
High School 69.6%
Associates 24.5%
Bachelors 3.9%
Masters 2.0%
Doctorate 0.0%

Panel Technician Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Panel Technician's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$57,136
Average $64,649/year
$71,010
$4,761
Average $5,387/month
$5,918
$1,099
Average $1,243/week
$1,366
$27
Average $31/hour
$34
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $71,010 $5,918 $1,366 $34
Average $64,649 $5,387 $1,243 $31
25th Percentile $57,136 $4,761 $1,099 $27

Most common benefits for Panel Technician

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Panel Technician

Here are companies hiring for Panel Technician and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Panel Technician

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Panel Technician?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Panel Technician roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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