The Green Jobs Sector Continues Upward Momentum
The green jobs sector is robust and getting stronger by the year. In fact, the median salary in a green job is $76,530/year – 31% more than the national median salary for the US workforce at $58,260. Not only is the overall growth rate for green jobs higher than for the overall workforce (+7.7%), some of the green occupations are among the fastest growing in the entire country.
Clean energy jobs are on a growth trajectory, while dirty energy jobs are stagnating or declining. These jobs are projected to grow 8.6% and add 114,300 jobs over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) definition, green jobs are “positions in agriculture, manufacturing, R&D, administrative, and service activities aimed at substantially preserving or restoring environmental quality.” An estimated 875,000 Americans work in “green jobs” – jobs to do with the environment, sustainability, renewable energy, conservation, and recycling.
The 2022 US Energy and Employment Report (USEER) analysis shows that energy jobs have rebounded after Covid-19 shutdowns. Nearly all clean energy sub-technologies added jobs from 2020 through 2021.
- The transmission, distribution, and storage sector employed more than 1.3 million people in 2021.
- The energy efficiency sector employed 2,164,914 people in 2021 in the design, installation, and manufacturing of energy efficiency products and services.
- Renewable energy added the most new jobs in the electricity generation sector from 2020 to 2021.
- Solar employment increased 5.4%, while wind employment grew 2.9%.
