SACRAMENTO, CA (Nov. 5, 2025) – Clean energy jobs grew more than three times faster in California than the rest of the state’s economy in 2024, raising the total number of clean energy workers in the state to more than half a million, according to the tenth annual Clean Jobs California report released today by the national, nonpartisan business group E2.
Clean energy jobs grew more than three times faster in California than the rest of the state’s economy in 2024, raising the total number of clean energy workers in the state to more than half a million, according to the tenth annual Clean Jobs California report released today by the national, nonpartisan business group E2.
“While federal actions stymie clean energy growth, California continues to prove that strong state policy is good for the economy and environment,” said Susan Nedell, senior Western advocate for E2. “During this year’s legislative session, our members helped convince state lawmakers to pass landmark climate bills like extending the Cap-and-Invest program through 2045 and opening the door to a stronger regional grid through the Pathways Initiative.”
Jobs in batteries, energy efficiency, storage and grid, and other clean energy subsectors continued to grow faster than the broader economy, accounting for an increasingly large share of the state’s workforce. Energy efficiency hosts more than half of California’s clean energy jobs, responsible for 312,090 in 2024.
However, renewable energy generation saw a slight dip after hitting a record high of 136,591 workers at the end of 2023. Clean vehicles also took a hit across the country, along with internal combustion engine vehicles, and California saw a similar decline losing 2,822 clean vehicle-related jobs.
Though not reflected in the 2024 data, recent policy actions by Congress and the Trump administration — to kill projects, revoke tax credits, cancel permits and add new regulatory red tape – have already caused major job losses in the clean energy industry, with more expected to come. According to separate E2 research, since January 2025 companies canceled more than $2.2 billion in planned clean energy related factories and other projects in California that were expected to create thousands of new jobs.
As clean energy companies and investors are reeling from federal decisions to slash clean energy support, the sector’s importance to the region’s overall economy is clearer than ever. Clean energy now accounts for 79 percent of all energy and vehicle-related jobs in the state, and three percent of all jobs. Industry-wide, nearly 55 percent of the sector’s jobs (about 360,000 jobs) are in construction or manufacturing.
“Energy efficiency remains the quickest and most affordable way to address GHG emissions from our built environment, the biggest sector of California’s clean economy, and yet remains under the radar and under resourced. This is why we have just launched the CA Building Performance Hub to directly support buildings statewide in reaching their energy efficiency goals,” said Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council California (USGBC-CA). “California continues to leverage its position as the world’s fourth largest economy to secure billions in community investment, lower energy costs for ratepayers, and strengthen grid reliability.”
Los Angeles County is home to more than 102,000 clean energy workers, more than any county in America. A note on demographics, veterans made up 9.4% of the state’s clean energy workforce in 2024.
| County | Total Clean Energy Jobs | National Ranking |
| Los Angeles | 102,461 | 1 |
| Orange | 59,829 | 3 |
| San Diego | 53,888 | 5 |
| Santa Clara | 49,446 | 8 |
| Alameda | 37,443 | 10 |
| San Francisco | 36,479 | 12 |
For more information, data requests, or to speak with clean energy business leaders in your area, contact Daniel Baker ([email protected]; 202-836-9390).
Methodology
This analysis of U.S. clean energy employment is based on employment data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership for the 2025 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). The USEER analyzes data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) to track employment across many energy production, transmission and distribution subsectors. In addition, the 2025 USEER relies on a unique supplemental survey of 42,800 business representatives across the United States. Created and conducted by BW Research, the methodology has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This survey is used to identify energy-related employment within key subsectors of the broader industries as classified by the BLS and to assign them into their component energy and energy efficiency sectors.
A full methodology on the sectors and types of jobs this analysis includes and does not include is available in E2’s Clean Jobs America report here.
Other Resources
- Clean Economy Works | Monthly Tracking: More details plus an interactive map of each of these projects shows what’s trending in America’s booming clean economy.
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E2 is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and managed more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on X/Twitter at @e2org and Bluesky at @e2.org.
USGBC California is a 501(c)3 non-profit and member-based organization whose vision is to transform California’s built environment into a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable region for all. This is driven through education and training, workforce development, deep community engagement and innovation. USGBC California comprises green building communities across the state. (www.usgbc-ca.org)