“This report shows Washington State’s clean energy economy is vibrant and robust, employing Washingtonians throughout our state. But there is still plenty of room for growth. There’s no reason that Washington state can’t lead the nation and become the hub for the clean energy industry.”— Gov. Jay Inslee
LIVING UP TO THE EVERGREEN NAME
When it comes to clean energy jobs, the Evergreen State is beginning to live up to its nickname. More than 82,800 Washingtonians now work in clean energy—wind, solar, energy efficiency and related industries. That makes the clean energy industry a bigger employer in the state than Boeing (around 65,800 employees), Microsoft (46,000) or Amazon (50,000).
The state is now in the nation’s Top 10 for renewable energy jobs (No. 10) and wind energy jobs (No. 9). And when it comes to all clean energy jobs, Washington is No. 13 in the country. Along with consumer and business demand for energy savings and cleaner energy sources, smart state policies—beginning with the 2006 passage of a renewable portfolio standard and recent updates to energy efficiency programs—are driving the clean energy job growth in Washington.
A BIGGER PICTURE
This report focuses solely on the energy sector of the economy and does not include jobs in retail trade, repair services, water or waste management, and indirect employment or induced employment.
HIGHLIGHTS
According to Clean Jobs Washington:
- Clean energy jobs outnumber fossil fuel jobs in the state by more than 13X
- Clean jobs account for more than 55% of all energy sector jobs in Washington state
- There are clean energy workers in all 39 Washington state counties
- 10.9% of clean energy workers in Washington are veterans
- 8,500 rural Washingtonians are employed by clean energy
- The Seattle metro area is home to nearly 46,000 clean energy jobs alone
- 70% of Washington clean energy workers are involved in construction or manufacturing
LOOKING FOR MORE INFO?
If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs Washington report or our other Clean Jobs America state reports, visit e2.org/reports or see Clean Jobs Count for a full interactive jobs breakdown of every U.S. state and clean energy industry. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake (mtimberlake@e2.org). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.
The complete report is available here and below.
