In every region and every state in America, clean energy is creating jobs and careers.
According to the 2019 Clean Jobs America analysis of energy jobs data by the national nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), nearly every U.S. state saw an increase in clean energy jobs in 2018, combining to add about 110,000 net new jobs for a growth rate of 3.6 percent.
Overall, clean energy jobs totaled more than 3.26 million at the end of 2018, growing despite the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on solar panels and market uncertainty from the administration’s inaction and planned rollbacks of energy efficiency and clean vehicles policies. Clean jobs outnumber fossil fuels jobs nearly three to one (3.26M to 1.17M) and clean energy employers said they anticipate 6 percent job growth for 2019.
INDUSTRY JOB TOPLINES
- Energy Efficiency – 2,324,865 jobs
- Renewable Energy – 508,484 jobs
- Solar Energy – 334,992 jobs
- Wind Energy – 111,166 jobs
- Clean Vehicles – 253,599 jobs
- Clean Storage – 74,569 jobs
- Grid Modernization – 64,377 jobs
- ALL US Clean Energy Sectors – 3,264,383 jobs
DOWNLOAD
The complete report is available for download at this link.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Solar alone employs more than twice the number of coal workers
- Wind and solar account for nearly 2 out of every 5 construction jobs in the electric generation sector
- Not included in the clean vehicles sector are 486,000 employees in the motor vehicle industry who work with parts making vehicles more fuel efficient
- Jobs in grid modernization grew 3.3 percent in 2018, adding more than 2,000 jobs
- More Americans work in energy efficiency (2.3 million) than there are waiters and waitresses in America’s bars and restaurants (2.25 million)
- All but two of America’s 3,007 counties are home to jobs in clean energy
- More than one out of every three employees working in the energy sector (from traditional energy to motor vehicles) are involved in energy efficiency
- After two years of losses, solar energy employers predict 8 percent job growth for 2019
- Two-thirds of U.S. clean energy jobs (67%) are involved in construction and manufacturing
- There are now more Americans working in clean energy than there are school teachers
Looking for More Info?
The analysis expands on data from the 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. The report was released in March 2019 and is available at www.usenergyjobs.org. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fourth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016 and subsequently abandoned under the Trump administration. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.
If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs America 2019 or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake (mtimberlake@e2.org). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.
WEBINAR
On March 20, E2 held a for a webinar on the findings of the 2019 Clean Jobs America report and the just-released 2019 US Energy Employment Report (USEER).
The panel discussion — featuring USEER co-authors David Foster and Phillip Jordan from the Energy Futures Initiatives and BW Research along with E4TheFuture director Pat Stanton and E2 executive director Bob Keefe — focused on the importance of state and federal policies to keep clean jobs growing and how E2 is using this data to help advance policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment.
A full recording of the webinar and presentation is available at this link or on the right.
PAST CLEAN JOBS AMERICA REPORTS
Clean Jobs America 2019 is the 4th national clean energy jobs report from E2. Previous reports can be accessed in the below links.
- Clean Jobs America 2016 | A comprehensive analysis of clean energy jobs in America
- Clean Jobs America 2017 | 3 Million Clean Energy Jobs in America
- Clean Jobs America 2018 | 3.2 Million Clean Energy Jobs