As previous Clean Energy Transition Institute research shows, the clean energy transition has the potential to bring job growth to the Northwest. At the same time, there will likely be job displacement in fossil fuel-related fields. Tracking energy workforce trends from year to year allows us to see how the transition is unfolding and where support is needed to make it equitable.

Background

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Jobs has contracted with BW Research since 2016 to produce the United States Energy & Employment Report (USEER) to provide information about national, state, and county-level energy jobs. The annual report draws on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and surveys of U.S. energy sector employers. The final report includes data by industry, technology, and region, including information on unionization rates, demographics, and employer perspectives on growth and hiring.

The 2025 USEER, released in August, reports on all energy employment data from 2024.¹ Energy jobs are categorized into five technology areas, or sectors:

• Electric power generation
• Fuels
• Transmission, distribution, and storage
• Energy efficiency
• Motor vehicles

In past years, the USEER has also included a section on clean energy jobs, including statistics and national trends on clean energy job growth, employment data, and more. However, the 2025 USEER does not have a clean energy section, so instead this blog relies on E2’s Clean Jobs America 2025 report for these insights.

E2 is a national, nonpartisan organization focused on creating environmentally and economically beneficial programs, policies, and companies across the U.S. For the past 10 years, they have published a Clean Jobs America report, which analyzes the USEER and underlying data to develop a clean energy workforce narrative, including key drivers of clean energy job growth across the country and specific sector and subsector employment trends.²

National Trends

According to the USEER, energy jobs grew from 8.35 million jobs in 2023 to 8.5 million jobs in 2024, accounting for 5.4% of all jobs in the U.S.

• The median income for energy jobs in 2024 was $58,810, 18.8% higher than the median income nationwide. The electric power generation sector had the highest median income at $65,430.
• Energy use sectors accounted for over half of all energy jobs. These include the motor vehicles sector, which employed the most workers at 2.6 million, and the energy efficiency sector, which employed the second most workers at nearly 2.4 million.
• In the motor vehicles sector, gasoline and diesel vehicles employed the most workers, accounting for 60% of its 2.6 million jobs.
• In the energy efficiency sector, traditional HVAC employed the most workers, accounting for 26% of the sector’s 2.3 million jobs, closely followed by certified appliances and advanced & recycled building materials.
• Among energy production sectors (electric power generation, transmission, distribution and storage, and fuels), solar and wind production remain two of the highest employing subsectors.
• In the electrical power generation sector, solar employed the most workers, accounting for 37% of the sector’s roughly 900,000 jobs.
• In the fuels sector, petroleum employed the most workers, accounting for 52% of the sector’s total 1 million jobs.
• In the transmission, distribution, and storage sector, traditional transmission and distribution electricity employed the most workers, accounting for 50% of the sector’s nearly 1.5 million jobs.
• Across all sectors, construction employed the most workers, followed by manufacturing and wholesale trade.
• Women and Black or African American workers remain under-represented in the U.S. energy workforce, making up a lower percentage than their proportion in the overall U.S. workforce.

National Clean Energy Trends

According to the E2 Clean Jobs America 2025 report, clean energy jobs grew by 2.8% in 2024, an addition of nearly 100,000 jobs that outpaced job growth across the rest of the energy industry. E2’s full clean energy job classification and methodology can be found here.

• 82% of all new energy jobs in 2024 were in clean energy.
• There are now over 3.5 million U.S. workers in clean energy occupations (defined as those within renewable generation, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, storage & grid, and biofuels).
• The number of clean energy-related jobs is now three times greater than those in oil, gas, and coal combined.
• Energy efficiency drove job growth in 2024, in total accounting for nearly 2.4 million jobs.
• While clean vehicle jobs experienced a 3% decrease in 2024, reflecting nationwide growth variability across the entire motor vehicles sector, clean vehicles remain a central part of the clean energy workforce, employing more than twice as many people today than in 2020.
• Nearly 60% of clean energy jobs are in construction and manufacturing, accounting for roughly 2.2 million jobs. Jobs in these industries include, but are not limited to, the development and assembly of renewable energy plants and parts, such as solar panels and wind turbines; retrofitting buildings; battery development; and electric vehicle construction.
• Throughout the U.S., only eight states employ more workers in fossil fuel jobs than in clean energy. Southern states³ lead the nation in clean energy jobs, adding over 41,000 jobs in 2024.

Idaho

The USEER reports that Idaho employed nearly 36,000 energy workers in 2024, representing a 4.7% increase from the previous year. According to the E2 Clean Jobs America 2025 report, Idaho also experienced the highest rate of clean energy job growth in the country in 2024 (6.1%). The energy sector in Idaho represents 4.1% of total state employment, including the following breakdown by sector (percentage increase from 2023 in parentheses):

• 12,704 in motor vehicles (4% increase)
• 10,224 in energy efficiency (7% increase)
• 6,932 in transmission, distribution, and storage (3% increase)
• 3,311 in electric power generation (7% increase)
• 2,769 in fuels (0.5 % increase)

The energy efficiency sector added the most jobs in 2024 with nearly 700 jobs, driven by increases in traditional HVAC and efficient lighting. Among electrical power generation jobs, solar and wind accounted for nearly 70% of jobs.

Montana

The USEER reports that Montana had approximately 33,200 total energy workers in 2024, a 2% increase from the previous year. According to the E2 Clean Jobs America 2025 report, Montana also experienced one of the highest rates of clean energy job growth in the country in 2024 (4.5%). Despite relatively low net job growth overall, Montana’s energy jobs represent 6.4% of total state employment, with the following breakdown by sector (percentage increase from 2023 in parentheses):

• 10,002 in transmission, distribution, and storage (2% increase)
• 8,832 in energy efficiency (4% increase)
• 6,454 in motor vehicles (0.5% decrease)
• 5,896 in fuels (0.3% decrease)
• 2,019 in electric power generation (11% increase)

The energy efficiency sector grew the most in 2024, adding 314 jobs, with the high efficiency HVAC and renewable heating & cooling subsector contributing the most.

‍Oregon

The USEER reports that Oregon had nearly 97,500 energy workers in 2024, up 1.6% from the previous year. According to the E2 Clean Jobs America 2025 report, Oregon also experienced 1.8% growth in clean energy jobs in 2024. Energy sector jobs in Oregon represent 4.8% of total state employment, with the following breakdown by sector (percentage increase from 2023 in parentheses):

• 41,357 in energy efficiency (3% increase)
• 25,386 in motor vehicles (1% decrease)
• 13,572 in transmission, distribution, and storage (3% increase)
• 11,386 in electric power generation (2% increase)
• 5,764 in fuels (0.8% increase)

The energy efficiency sector grew the most, adding over 1,000 jobs, with the efficient lighting subsector growing the most.

Washington

The USEER reports that Washington had nearly 151,400 total energy workers in 2024, a 2.3% increase from the previous year. According to the E2 Clean Jobs America 2025 report, Washington saw 2.4% growth in clean energy jobs in 2024. The energy sector in Washington represents 4.1% of total state employment, with the following breakdown by sector (percentage increase from 2023 in parentheses):

• 61,884 in energy efficiency (3% increase)
• 34,191 in motor vehicles (1% increase)
• 29,094 in transmission, distribution, and storage (2% increase)
• 16,232 in electric power generation (3% increase)
• 9,963 in fuels (2% increase)

The energy efficiency sector grew the most, adding over 1,000 jobs, with the efficient lighting subsector and the high efficiency HVAC and renewable heating & cooling subsector growing the most.

‍Energy Employer Insight

Nationally, employers in nearly every energy sector reported that they experienced the most hiring difficulty due to a lack of experience, education, training or technical skills, and/or sufficient certifications. While these specifics are not available at the state level in the USEER 2025 Report, the USEER Public Data set includes a percentage breakdown by state of hiring difficulty across energy employers. For the four Northwest states, an average of 20% of employers in 2024 experienced very difficult hiring conditions⁴, a slight increase from 2023. Additionally, an average of 46% of employers did not hire at all in 2024, a slight decrease from 2023. Information about hiring difficulty between subsectors and industry is provided in more detail in the report.

Data to Inform Decisionmakers

While the USEER 2025 national report does not include clean energy jobs data, E2’s Clean Jobs America 2025 report provides us with a clearer picture of how the nation’s clean energy workforce is growing. These statistics, highlighted in the “National Clean Energy Trends” section above, show how important clean energy jobs are to the energy sector, making up a vast majority of new energy jobs added in 2024 (82%) and growing at a faster rate than any individual energy sector.

Recent federal policies, such as permitting freezes on renewable energy projects and revoked clean energy incentives, threaten this growth and impact job security for Americans, the national economy, and the health of our environment and communities.  

The energy industry also faces equity barriers, with underrepresentation of workers of color and women across all sectors. The E2 Clean Jobs America report found that across clean energy-related jobs, Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous workers are underrepresented relative to the general U.S. workforce, and women make up just 28% of clean energy workers. As reported in the 2025 USEER, a vast number of energy sector jobs also do not provide comprehensive healthcare coverage for their employees and their families, placing increased financial insecurity on low-income workers and their communities. Addressing these equity barriers will be essential to accelerate a just clean energy transition.

Explore the Data

We invite you to explore the USEER data in three updated visualizations on the Northwest Clean Energy Atlas:

1. ‍Northwest Energy Jobs by County‍
2. Northwest Energy Jobs by Subsector‍
3. Northwest Energy Jobs by Year

You can also find the 2025 USEER full report, executive summary, state reports, and data here.

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1. See USEER 2025 Appendices for discussion of USEER methodology, including the report's definition of a qualifying energy firm and energy worker.

2. Refer to pages 3 to 4 of E2’s Clean Jobs America 2025 report for notes on methodology and clean energy job classification.

3. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

4. Response categories included “very difficult hiring, somewhat difficult hiring, not at all difficult hiring, and did not hire.”