Clean energy jobs grew fifteen times faster in New Mexico than the rest of the state’s economy in 2024 (4.6 percent compared to 0.3 percent), adding 613 new jobs to the workforce.
SummaryThe clean energy industry continues to drive job creation in the Midwest, adding 13,000 jobs across the 12-state region last year.
More than 774,000 Midwesterners now work in renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicle manufacturing and other clean energy related fields, an increase of about 2 percent from a year earlier and a 5 percent increase from just five years ago. By comparison, the region’s overall workforce grew by half a percent last year.
The data in this report predates the July 2025 passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to slow clean energy job growth nationwide. Still, the numbers highlight a workforce that is becoming an increasingly vital part of the Midwest’s economy.
As the demand for energy continues to rise and the financial toll of climate change becomes more visible, the Midwest’s clean energy workers are poised to play an even more critical role in shaping the region’s economic future.
Bright spots for the industry include energy efficiency. Energy efficiency comprises about two-thirds of all the region’s clean energy jobs, and it grew by more than 17,000 jobs — top among all sectors. More than 517,000 Midwesterners manufacture energy-efficient appliances, install efficient lighting, connect heat pumps and other highly efficient HVAC systems, construct buildings using materials like low-carbon concrete, or work in other energy efficiency-related jobs.
Clean vehicles is the second-largest clean energy sector, employing more than 122,000 Midwesterners who work on EVs, hybrid EVs, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles. Last year, the sector lost 5,963 jobs due to a combination of automation, lower-than-expected consumer demand, policy uncertainty, and supply chain restructuring.
Renewable energy jobs topped 97,000 last year, spurred by a 2.2 percent growth in solar jobs. Clean grid and storage jobs grew to more than 29,000, sparked by a 4.5 percent growth in battery storage jobs.
The complete report along with interactive breakdowns for all states is available at this link.
total clean energy jobs
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A Return to Rapid Growth, with Clean Vehicle Jobs Driving AheadClean energy companies employed more than 714,000 Midwesterners at the end of 2021, over a 5 percent increase from 2020 and a return to growth after an unprecedented decline in 2020. Approximately 55 percent of the clean energy jobs lost during the COVID-19 economic downturn were regained. In 2021, clean energy jobs grew almost 40 percent faster than the overall economy. More Midwesterners worked in clean energy than the number of lawyers, accountants and auditors, web developers, and real estate agents in the region combined.
The biggest sector of the Midwest clean energy industry is energy efficiency, over 67 percent of the region’s clean energy workforce. The 479,626 energy efficiency workers in the Midwest manufacture ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, install efficient lighting, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and install advanced building materials in homes and commercial buildings.
As more automakers and their suppliers continued to shift to electric vehicles, the advanced transportation sector saw an increase of 24 percent in the Midwest.
The sector added 21,939 new jobs for a total of 112,591 workers. Hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric-vehicle sector jo
The complete report along with interactive breakdowns for all states is available at this link.
More than 677,900 Midwesterners worked in clean energy and clean vehicles at the end of 2020, making the sector a major – and promising – part of the region’s economy, according to this comprehensive analysis of employment data.
Like most of the economy, clean energy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn in 2020. According to this year’s Clean Jobs Midwest, 2020 was the first year-to-year decline since E2 and Clean Energy Trust began tracking Midwest clean energy jobs. At one point, more than 131,600 Midwest clean energy workers had filed for unemployment, but the sector surged back 10.7 percent in the second half of the year to recover more than half of the jobs initially lost. The final 2020 job numbers represent an 8.9 percent drop in the Midwest clean energy workforce from 2019, or 66,100 jobs. Last year’s job losses were a dramatic change of pace for the industry. Last year’s job losses were a dramatic change of pace for the industry. In the 3 years leading up to 2020, for example, clean energy jobs grew almost 4 times as fast as overall employment.
The biggest sector of the Midwest’s clean energy industry is energy efficiency, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the region’s clean energy jobs. But as more automakers and their suppliers continue to shift to electric vehicles, the advanced transportation sector saw a job increase of 3 percent across the region, with growth in most states. The sector added nearly 3,000 new jobs for a total of more than 90,000 workers.
Among clean energy subsectors, wind power, hybrid cars, and electric vehicles were the region’s brightest spots. Wind energy jobs in the region grew by more than 4 percent to 37,800 workers and the number of hybrid vehicle manufacturing employees grew by 6 percent to 43,000 workers. Electric vehicle (EV) jobs grew by an even healthier 8.5 percent, and are poised for future growth with supportive policies and significant commitments to EVs by major regional employers such as Ford and GM.
Clean energy jobs are found in every corner of the region. While big cities like Chicago (81,707), Detroit (50,229), and Minneapolis (34,958) were some of the largest hubs for clean energy jobs, more than one in five — or more than 143,800 — jobs are in rural areas.
The complete report along with interactive breakdowns for all states is available at this link.
View Report »Colorado’s clean energy industry employed 58,182 at the end of 2020, according to a survey by E2, or Environmental Entrepreneurs, a national industry group. Employment dropped nearly 7% during the pandemic, but rebounded 6% from June to December last year.
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