A STRONGER U.S. ENERGY EFFICIENCY WORKFORCE

Summary

Nearly 2.2 million Americans now work in energy efficiency —more than any other sector of the U.S. energy industry, including oil, gas and coal (but not motor vehicles) — according to the newest Energy Efficiency Jobs in America from E4TheFuture and E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs).

Despite growing more slowly than the energy industry overall, energy efficiency businesses added nearly 60,000 jobs in 2021 – accounting for almost half of the 132,000 jobs the overall sector added in 2021. California and Texas claimed the most total energy efficiency jobs again with nearly 450,000 jobs between the two states alone, while Nevada (7 percent), New Mexico (7 percent), Oklahoma (5.3 percent), New Jersey (5.2 percent), and Colorado (5 percent) led the country in year-over-year job growth.

Among the key local findings are that nearly 290,000 Americans living in rural areas work in energy efficiency with more than 40 percent of all workers living outside of America’s top 50 metro areas.

Energy efficiency saves money, reduces emissions, improves air quality and public health, and makes us more energy independent—while also tackling climate change and creating jobs. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) included historic investments aimed at advancing energy efficiency across the country. The effective implementation of the energy efficiency provisions in IRA and IIJA, and the continued funding for government-led energy efficiency activities, are both crucial to realizing the benefits of this critical energy source

Download

To download the national summary, click here or the report cover above.

For all 51 individual factsheets, visit https://ee.e4thefuture.org/ .

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QUESTIONS & FAQ

For questions on this report, methodology, reported job numbers, or requests for specific additional data, email E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ for the report, including answers to questions on methodology, is available here.

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