America’s Energy Efficiency Relies on 2.3 Million Americans and Counting
December 16, 2024
Growth in the energy efficiency (EE) workforce is more than just a trend line. It’s a strong sign of an industry that’s changing the way people think about energy use and savings in their homes and businesses. This progress is outlined in the recently released 8th annual Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report, which looks at overall workforce growth, local impacts, diversity, and the policies that will shape the future of our industry. The report also includes details and data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia including demographics, breakouts by type of work, and more.
A Growing Industry
This year’s report confirms that energy efficiency remains the largest sector of the U.S. clean energy workforce, with nearly 2.3 million Americans working in the industry. In 2023, this sector experienced the most job growth among all energy technology areas, adding nearly 75,000 new jobs.
The EE sector employs more than twice as many workers as the entire fossil fuel industry. This statistic highlights the critical role that workers play in the shift to cleaner energy and greater efficiency in our homes, businesses, and communities.
This is great news because the EE workforce mainly consists of young and middle-aged workers—those who can see us through this transition! In fact, there are more workers ages 18 to 54 in EE than in the national workforce.
The report also shows that the EE workforce stands out for its inclusion of veterans, who make up 9% of the EE workforce (compared to the national average of 5%).
Jobs Rooted in the Community
The report reveals that EE workers are in demand across the country, with jobs found in 99.9% of all U.S. counties. These workers help homes and businesses save energy through common upgrades like better insulation, improved HVAC systems, efficient appliances, and smart thermostats. Because these jobs are local and cannot be outsourced, they provide economic benefits to communities while helping to lower energy costs.
Curious about how many energy efficiency jobs are in your area? Check out our state fact sheets that break those numbers down by county.
The Need for Greater Diversity
Research shows that a diverse workforce boosts innovation, productivity, employee satisfaction, retention, and profits. While the EE industry is making great strides in boosting diversity through expanded recruitment and training opportunities in underserved communities, there is still more work to be done. Prioritizing diversity in hiring will be key to better representation in communities and a return to pre-pandemic workforce numbers.
Providing Policy Guidance
The report includes policy recommendations providing guidance to policymakers, program managers, and state and local leaders on how to use and protect federal investments, strengthen workforce diversity, and keep energy efficiency jobs growing. Key investments like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have made significant progress in tackling climate change and creating jobs, but effective implementation and continued funding are critical to sustaining the momentum and further building up the clean energy workforce.
2.3 Million and Counting…
The Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report establishes a baseline of where we’ve been and where we need to go, with key insights guiding us on pathways forward. In addition to the national summary, which offers a high-level overview of EE workforce statistics nationwide, the fact sheets for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia include analysis to help state leaders understand trends and make informed decisions about program development and investments. Each state fact sheet includes:
- Total jobs per state
- Comparison with other in-state energy sectors
- Business sizes and total number of EE businesses
- Breakouts by type of work
- Percentage of veterans
- Percentage of construction workers
- Demographic data
- Number of EE jobs by county
As a companion to the state fact sheets, you can also see some of the 2.3 million people who work in this industry and who participate in the Faces of EE initiative. This campaign, started by E4TheFuture in 2017, supports job report numbers and humanizes the statistics. The faces you see are the unsung heroes who help people to live better, use energy smarter, and who are passionate about the work they do. We’re grateful to our Faces of EE for their contributions to this report—be sure to check your state page to see the faces making an impact in your state!
As BPA continues the important work of publishing the Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report, we are honored to build on the legacy established by E4TheFuture and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). We invite everyone in the industry to explore, share, and use the report to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the millions of Americans who drive energy efficiency to homes, businesses, and communities across the country.