At the end of 2020, nearly 3.6 million people worked in wind, solar, efficiency and other clean energy fields, according to the 2021 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, which uses data from 2020. That’s more than the number of people employed as registered nurses, and just shy of those working as public school teachers.
Like many industries, the clean energy sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, but is well-positioned for long-term growth and can help deliver near-term economic recovery at the appropriate time. The clean energy industry is a proven catalyst for quick job growth. Nearly 1 million jobs were created as a result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included $90 billion in federal investments in clean energy.
For Climate Nexus’ detailed breakdown on full-time U.S. energy employment – both clean and dirty – see below.
The information on figure above is drawn from these pages: 83, 88, 114, 131.
Source: Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) + National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO),
2021 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, which uses data from 2020.
Click to view clean energy job numbers from 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.