DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment (2024)

Annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) Finds Historic High Unionization in Clean Energy Sector, Growth in Clean Energy Jobs in Every State

DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment (1)

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Spurred by the Biden-Harris Administration’s record investments in climate, clean energy, and manufacturing, clean energy employment increased by 142,000 jobs in 2023, accounting for more than half of new energy sector jobs and growing at a rate more than twice as large as that for the rest of the energy sector and the U.S. economy overall.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released the 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), a comprehensive study designed to track and understand employment trends across the energy sector. As the private sector continues to announce major investments in American-made energy spurred by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the 2024 USEER shows that the energy workforce overall added over 250,000 jobs in 2023; 56% of those were in clean energy.

For the first time ever unionization rates in clean energy, at 12.4%, surpassed the average rate in the energy sector of 11%, driven by rapid growth in unionized construction and utility industries. The sectors experiencing significant growth include zero-emission vehicle and renewable energy, as well as transmission, distribution, and storage – sectors crucial to achieving the Administration’s goal to reach 100% clean electricity by 2035 and delivering cheaper, more resilient energy to every community.

“Our policies are working. We are now starting to see the job impacts of investments made through the infrastructure and inflation reduction laws - first in construction and as America builds more of these factories, we’ll see hundreds of thousands more,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The data clearly show that clean energy means jobs – good jobs, union jobs, and jobs retained – in communities across the country as we race to dominate the global clean energy economy.”

This year’s report reflects a record number of survey responses from 42,000 business nationwide.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2023, clean energy was the driving factor for growth in the energy sector – jobs in clean energy grew by 4.2%, more than twice as much as the already-robust job growth rate of 2.0% in the overall economy.
  • Jobs in clean energy grew in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In particular, Idaho had the fastest rate of clean energy job growth, increasing at 7.7%, followed by Texas at 6.0%, and New Mexico at 5.9%.
  • Both the solar and wind sectors reported strong job growth – jumping 5.3% and 4.5% respectively. Looking forward, DOE projects that the Inflation Reduction Act will double the share of electricity generation from clean sources by 2030, driven by growth in solar and wind. As the energy industry ramps up to meet this growth, construction is booming in many parts of the country. The energy construction sector added nearly 90,000 energy jobs, growing 4.5%, almost double the economy-wide construction employment growth of 2.3%.
  • In addition to jobs in energy infrastructure like renewable energy and grid upgrades, jobs resulting from the construction of domestic clean energy manufacturing and supply chain facilities were tracked for the first time this year. In addition to the 90,000 traditional energy construction jobs, the report found an additional 28,000 jobs in 2023 carrying out the work of building new battery and solar module factories, ports for offshore wind, and warehouses to store and transport clean energy products.

“Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration's historic investments, clean energy jobs are booming in every single state. With union density in clean energy at record highs, it’s clear we can create good jobs and advance a cleaner economy at the same time. And as the report shows, union labor makes a difference; employers report that working with unions has made it easier for them to find the skilled workers they need and hire a diverse workforce. We look forward to continuing to partner with Vice President Harris and the Department of Energy to ensure that clean energy jobs are good union jobs,” said AFL-CIO President, Liz Shuler.

Additional Highlights of the 2024 USEER include:

  • From 2022 to 2023, employment increased across all five USEER energy technology categories: electric power generation; energy efficiency; fuels; motor vehicles; and transmission, distribution, and storage.
  • The energy efficiency sector supported almost 2.3 million jobs in 2023, adding nearly 75,000 positions from the year before – the most of any sector. Energy efficiency includes the installation of several home energy improvements now eligible for tax breaks under the IRA, and the 3.4% growth rate was the strongest showing since 2018.
  • Veterans accounted for 9% of the U.S. energy workforce, greater than their representation in the overall U.S. workforce, and the energy workforce is younger than average, with 29% of workers below the age of 30.
  • Latino and Hispanic workers held nearly one-third of the new energy jobs created in 2023, growing by 79,000 workers.
  • The energy industry sectors experiencing the highest job growth from 2022 to 2023 were utilities and construction.
  • The utilities sector saw the fastest employment growth of 5.0% in 2023, adding nearly 30,000 jobs.
  • The construction sector added nearly 90,000 energy jobs, growing 4.5%, almost double the economy-wide construction employment growth of 2.3%.
  • Clean energy technologies accounted for 79% of net new electric power generation employment, adding 28,086 jobs. Wind and solar employment grew at rates well above average, and solar jobs became more demographically diverse and more heavily unionized.
  • Motor vehicle jobs are growing, and the most rapid growth is in zero-emission vehicles. Nationwide, jobs in motor vehicles grew, with clean vehicle employment increasing 11.4%, adding 24,826 jobs.

State data show:

  • Texas (969,801), California (932,273), Michigan (401,720), Florida (351,934), and Ohio (333,110) have the greatest number of energy jobs in the United States.
  • California (545,207), Texas (261,934), New York (177,202), Florida (172,115), and Illinois (130,473) have the greatest number of clean energy jobs.
  • Alabama (9.6%), Utah (7.8%), and North Carolina (6.9%) had the fastest rate of energy job growth from 2022 to 2023.

Methodology

The USEER began in 2016 to better track and understand employment within key energy sectors that have been difficult or impossible to follow using other publicly available data sources. The report is based on a customized energy employer survey that augments data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to produce estimates of employment and workforce characteristics.

To learn more about the Department of Energy’s commitment to supporting high-quality energy jobs accessible to the diverse American workforce, visit DOE's Office of Energy Jobs

To read the full 2024 USEER National report, visit

For more on how President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda has spurred a new industrial revolution in clean energy, bringing manufacturing back to America and creating good-paying clean energy jobs—including union jobs—across the nation, visit: Building America's Clean Energy Future

DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment (2024)

FAQs

DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment? ›

In 2023, clean energy was the driving factor for growth in the energy sector – jobs in clean energy grew by 4.2%, more than twice as much as the already-robust job growth rate of 2.0% in the overall economy. Jobs in clean energy grew in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Does clean energy create more jobs? ›

There were more employment opportunities with the carbon tax than without it. In a nutshell: Clean energy and energy efficiency actually puts more people to work, at comparable wages, than continued fossil fuel extraction.

How many people work in renewable energy in the US? ›

To maximize the positive economic impact of clean energy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to creating quality jobs that can sustain American families. There are just over 8 million jobs in renewable energy today. In 2021 and 2022, energy jobs grew faster than overall U.S. employment.

What are the fastest growing jobs in renewable energy? ›

Jobs in renewable energy, like solar panel installers and wind turbine service technicians, are also set to rise much faster than the national average.

How much has clean energy increased? ›

Clean energy is booming in the United States. According to “Renewables on the Rise 2023,” the seventh edition of our annual report on the state of clean energy in America, the United States now generates nearly 12 times as much solar power and 2.6 times as much wind power as it did in 2013.

Is clean energy a growing industry? ›

Employment in clean energy businesses - including wind, solar, nuclear and battery storage - rose by 142,000 jobs, or 4.2% last year, up from a rise of 3.9% in 2022, the U.S. Energy and Employment Report said. The rate was above the overall U.S. job growth rate of 2% in 2023.

How many green jobs are there in the US? ›

Lightcast's newest analysis finds that there were more than 1.4 million green jobs in the U.S. last year and more than 410,000 green job postings in what is defined as “core green” jobs – those wind turbine technicians and solar installers we have historically associated with the green economy.

What percentage of the US is using renewable energy? ›

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
Energy sourceBillion kWhShare of total
Petroleum coke50.1%
Other gases3110.3%
Nuclear77518.6%
Renewables (total)89421.4%
21 more rows
Feb 29, 2024

What is the renewable energy rate in the US? ›

Renewable energy sources in 2022. Renewables were 8.4% of total energy, or 8.3 quads. Renewable electricity sources in 2022. Renewables were 21% of total electricity, or 907 TWh.

Where does the US rank in renewable energy? ›

China produced 31% of global renewable electricity, followed by the United States (11%), Brazil (6.4%), Canada (5.4%) and India (3.9%). Renewable investment reached almost $500 billion globally in 2022, amounting to 83% of new electric capacity that year.

Which state has the most clean energy jobs? ›

All 50 states and the District of Columbia added clean energy jobs in 2023, led by Idaho Texas, and New Mexico. While clean energy jobs surged, fossil fuel jobs slumped with just 24,500 new net jobs – 77,000 new jobs in natural gas but 44,000 lost jobs in petroleum and 8,500 lost jobs in coal.

What is the fastest growing renewable energy us? ›

Solar is the fastest-growing renewable source because of the larger capacity additions and favorable tax credits policies. Planned solar projects increase solar capacity operated by the electric power sector 38% from 95 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2023 to 131 GW by the end of 2024.

Who invested the most in clean energy jobs of any president? ›

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Spurred by the Biden-Harris Administration's record investments in climate, clean energy, and manufacturing, clean energy employment increased by 142,000 jobs in 2023, accounting for more than half of new energy sector jobs and growing at a rate more than twice as large as that for the rest of the ...

Does renewable energy create more jobs? ›

Clean energy technologies, such as solar and wind, accounted for more than 84% of net new electric power generation jobs, adding over 21,000 jobs (+3.6% growth), and jobs related to zero emissions vehicles saw nearly 21% growth, adding over 38,000 jobs.

Which US state has the most clean energy? ›

Texas produces the most renewable energy (measured in megawatt-hours) of any state. Several states have committed to using only carbon-free power over the next few decades.

Is the US switching to clean energy? ›

Together, renewables combined with energy storage dominated new utility-scale generation sources, representing more than three-quarters of total new capacity added (see graphic below). Renewables, including large hydropower, represented about 25% of electricity generated in the United States in the first half of 2023.

What energy source creates the most jobs? ›

Solar energy was found to be the fastest-growing sector. In 2021 it provided 4.3 million jobs, more than a third of the current global workforce in renewable energy.

How does energy efficiency create jobs? ›

Additionally, energy efficiency generates energy bill savings over the life of the investment, which frees up funds to support more jobs in the economy by shifting jobs in the energy generation and distribution industries (lower labor intensity: 10 jobs per $1 million) to jobs in all other industries (higher labor ...

Is clean energy a good career? ›

Jobs in energy generally do pay well. Some of the best-paying jobs in power generation are in renewable energy careers. However, plenty of traditional energy jobs pay very well too. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs in energy have median salaries between $80,000 and $100,000 per year.

How does clean energy help the economy? ›

How does that affect the wider economy? Switching to renewables requires far less investment into your power sector than if you were to build new coal or nuclear power plants. That means a lower electricity price, and that has impacts on everything in the economy.

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