Clean energy jobs grew at more than double the rate of overall US employment

Renewable power has emerged as the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. energy industry. This comes according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy, which found that clean power jobs significantly outpaced other energy sector employment opportunities in 2023.

“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,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

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In 2023, employment in clean power increased by 142,000 positions, representing a 4.2% rise from the previous year. That total accounted for more than half of the new jobs in the American energy industry, while the growth rate was over twice that of the overall U.S. economy-wide increase of 2%.

Among the various fields within renewable energy, energy efficiency jobs — focused on the production and installation of products and services that reduce electricity consumption — created the most jobs, adding 75,000 new positions last year.

Meanwhile, job opportunities in the wind and solar energy sectors also grew at above-average rates, as the electric vehicle industry similarly saw “significant” employment increases.

Regionally, Idaho led the nation with a 7.7% growth rate in clean energy jobs for 2023, followed by Texas at 6% and New Mexico at 5.9%. Overall, all 50 states and the District of Columbia experienced increases in renewable energy jobs over the previous year.