Clean Energy Jobs Growth in the United States

The document reports significant job growth in the U.S. clean energy sector as of early 2016. It highlights that solar and wind industries are expanding rapidly, with solar jobs growing 17 times faster than the overall economy and wind-turbine technicians projected as the fastest-growing occupation. Energy efficiency employs the largest volume of workers at 2.2 million. Geographically, Texas leads in wind jobs, while California leads in solar and energy efficiency jobs.

• In early 2016, approximately 800,000 Americans were employed in low-carbon-emission generation technologies, which includes renewables, nuclear, and advanced/low-emission natural gas, significantly exceeding the 160,000 Americans employed in coal.
• The solar industry experienced rapid growth in 2016, creating jobs 17 times faster than the general economy and accounting for one out of every 50 new jobs in the U.S. The workforce grew by 25 percent from 2015 to 2016, reaching 374,000 employees.
• Wind employment grew by 32 percent between 2015 and 2016 to reach 102,000 workers, and wind-turbine technicians are predicted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be the fastest-growing occupation over the next decade.
• Energy efficiency products and services employed 2.2 million Americans in early 2016, with over half (1.4 million) working in the construction industry.
• Within the auto industry, over 259,000 workers in early 2016 worked with alternative-fuel vehicles, and at least 710,000 jobs focused on transitioning to alternative fuels or improving fuel economy.
• Clean energy jobs are distributed across the U.S., with Texas leading in wind jobs and California leading in solar and energy efficiency jobs. More than 500 factories producing wind-related parts are located in 43 states, with concentrations in Appalachia, the Northeast, and the Midwest.

APA

World Resources Institute (2017). Clean Energy Jobs Growth in the United States. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Clean_Energy_Fact_Sheet_final.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Clean Energy Jobs Growth in the United States. 2017. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Clean_Energy_Fact_Sheet_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Clean Energy Jobs Growth in the United States |date=February 2017 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Clean_Energy_Fact_Sheet_final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2017clean, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Clean Energy Jobs Growth in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Clean_Energy_Fact_Sheet_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }