Worst States for Solar Panels
#1: Washington — only $5,061 in net 20-year savings (14.3 year payback). For each state we model a 6.0 kW rooftop system using the state's climatological peak sun hours and the EIA residential rate. Includes the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit and a national-average installed cost of $3.00/W. States are ranked by net 20-year savings (savings minus net install cost). State electricity prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (April 2026). See our methodology for the full formula.Rank State Rate (¢/kWh) 20-year net savings 1 Washington 14.36 $5,061 (20-yr net) · 14.3 yr payback 2 North Dakota 12.35 $5,965 (20-yr net) · 13.6 yr payback 3 Iowa 13.86 $7,761 (20-yr net) · 12.4 yr payback 4 Idaho 12.70 $7,792 (20-yr net) · 12.4 yr payback 5 Missouri 14.01 $8,460 (20-yr net) · 12.0 yr payback 6 Nebraska 13.28 $8,724 (20-yr net) · 11.8 yr payback 7 West Virginia 16.06 $8,798 (20-yr net) · 11.8 yr payback 8 Kentucky 15.02 $8,952 (20-yr net) · 11.7 yr payback 9 Oregon 15.78 $8,964 (20-yr net) · 11.7 yr payback 10 Arkansas 14.16 $9,169 (20-yr net) · 11.6 yr payback 11 Montana 13.90 $9,244 (20-yr net) · 11.5 yr payback 12 Tennessee 14.94 $9,348 (20-yr net) · 11.5 yr payback 13 South Dakota 14.52 $10,219 (20-yr net) · 11.0 yr payback 14 Louisiana 14.44 $10,586 (20-yr net) · 10.9 yr payback 15 Oklahoma 13.31 $10,591 (20-yr net) · 10.9 yr payback 16 Minnesota 16.39 $10,918 (20-yr net) · 10.7 yr payback 17 Georgia 15.37 $12,080 (20-yr net) · 10.2 yr payback 18 Utah 13.29 $12,372 (20-yr net) · 10.1 yr payback 19 Indiana 17.90 $12,473 (20-yr net) · 10.1 yr payback 20 Ohio 19.49 $12,703 (20-yr net) · 10.0 yr payback 21 North Carolina 16.25 $12,938 (20-yr net) · 9.9 yr payback 22 Wyoming 14.68 $13,479 (20-yr net) · 9.7 yr payback 23 Virginia 17.38 $13,526 (20-yr net) · 9.6 yr payback 24 Alabama 17.41 $13,571 (20-yr net) · 9.6 yr payback 25 Wisconsin 19.21 $13,652 (20-yr net) · 9.6 yr payback 26 Mississippi 16.76 $13,739 (20-yr net) · 9.6 yr payback 27 Kansas 15.78 $13,816 (20-yr net) · 9.5 yr payback 28 South Carolina 17.06 $14,793 (20-yr net) · 9.2 yr payback 29 Delaware 18.79 $15,003 (20-yr net) · 9.1 yr payback 30 Michigan 21.39 $15,169 (20-yr net) · 9.1 yr payback 31 Florida 15.38 $15,248 (20-yr net) · 9.0 yr payback 32 Illinois 20.47 $15,373 (20-yr net) · 9.0 yr payback 33 Alaska 27.35 $15,432 (20-yr net) · 9.0 yr payback 34 Pennsylvania 21.47 $16,007 (20-yr net) · 8.8 yr payback 35 Texas 16.99 $17,583 (20-yr net) · 8.3 yr payback 36 Colorado 16.54 $18,479 (20-yr net) · 8.1 yr payback 37 Nevada 14.29 $18,645 (20-yr net) · 8.1 yr payback 38 Vermont 24.56 $19,285 (20-yr net) · 7.9 yr payback 39 Maryland 22.07 $19,822 (20-yr net) · 7.8 yr payback 40 New Mexico 15.15 $20,008 (20-yr net) · 7.7 yr payback 41 New Jersey 23.53 $21,163 (20-yr net) · 7.5 yr payback 42 Arizona 15.48 $21,776 (20-yr net) · 7.3 yr payback 43 New Hampshire 27.24 $23,694 (20-yr net) · 6.9 yr payback 44 District of Columbia 25.41 $24,729 (20-yr net) · 6.8 yr payback 45 Maine 28.42 $25,267 (20-yr net) · 6.7 yr payback 46 New York 29.45 $25,633 (20-yr net) · 6.6 yr payback 47 Rhode Island 28.30 $26,074 (20-yr net) · 6.5 yr payback 48 Massachusetts 29.45 $26,639 (20-yr net) · 6.4 yr payback 49 Connecticut 32.24 $31,458 (20-yr net) · 5.7 yr payback 50 California 35.25 $54,840 (20-yr net) · 3.7 yr payback 51 Hawaii 46.62 $78,185 (20-yr net) · 2.8 yr payback How we calculated this