DOE Finds Energy Jobs Have Increased in Nearly Every County in America

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released county-level data on energy employment across the United States finding that energy jobs grew in nearly every county in 2022. This data builds on national and state-level data that was published in June in the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER)—a comprehensive summary of national and state-level energy jobs, reporting by industry, technology, and region. Today’s release of the county-level data shows that clean energy jobs are increasing in communities across the United States.  

With the release of the county-level data, local and regional groups will be empowered to understand their local energy workforce and how to support the creation of good jobs in clean energy in their area. These findings illustrate how Bidenomics is working, and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring all communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity, helping deliver on the President’s ambitious clean energy and climate goals. This release comes on the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action in history that has already spurred over $110 billion of clean energy manufacturing announcements from the private sector and created over 170,000 jobs.     

“This new data confirms what we’ve been seeing and hearing on the ground in states across the country: Bidenomics is working, and the clean energy transformation is creating good jobs in every pocket of America,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “As energy jobs continue to grow thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re transforming local economies and delivering healthier and more prosperous communities along the way.” 

The county-level USEER data provides employment numbers for a range of energy technologies in every county of the United States. Data is reported for five energy sectors: Electric Power Generation; Transmission, Distribution, and Storage; Fuels; Energy Efficiency; and Motor Vehicles and Component Parts. Key county-level findings include: 

• Energy employment is increasing in nearly every county across the United States. The number of energy jobs increased in 95% of American counties from 2021 to 2022.
• Energy efficiency jobs are the most widely geographically distributed of all energy sectors, with jobs in nearly all counties in the United States. From 2021 to 2022, energy efficiency jobs increased in 95% of counties in the United States. We expect energy efficiency jobs to continue to grow with DOE’s continued investment in home energy efficiency.
• Motor vehicle jobs are also widely distributed, with jobs in 98% of U.S. counties. One hundred counties have more than 5,000 motor vehicle jobs, and 31 have more than 10,000 jobs.
• Solar jobs increased in the largest number of counties of any electric power generation technology, growing in 74% of U.S. counties. Solar is the largest electric power generation technology, and there are solar jobs in 79% of U.S. counties. Solar is the only technology within the electric power sector where any county has over 10,000 workers. All four of these counties are in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. 

With so many jobs across so many counties, energy jobs are making an impact in nearly every community in the nation, and DOE anticipates that impact will only grow as President Biden’s Investing in America agenda continues to spur billions in investments in clean energy, communities, and people. Through USEER and other mapping initiatives, DOE is tracking energy jobs in every county of the United States, as well as tens of thousands of announced jobs in solar power, offshore wind, EV batteries, and more since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Achieving a clean energy transition requires harnessing the talent, grit, and innovative spirit of the diverse American workforce in every county of the country, and DOE is committed to engaging and investing in a skilled workforce to scale up the development and build-out of clean energy technologies. You can learn more about DOE’s commitment to supporting good-paying energy jobs on our website.