Indianapolis, In. — More than 83,000 Indiana residents now work in clean energy industries in every county in the state according to a new analysis of energy jobs data from Clean Energy Trust (CET) and the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs). Indiana’s clean energy workforce now employs more than all the waiters and waitresses, computer programmers, lawyers, and web developers in Indiana combined, according to Department of Labor Employment Statistics.
Energy efficiency once again led all clean energy sectors in Indiana, employing 53,963 workers – accounting for more than six in ten of all clean energy workers in the state. Clean vehicles came in second with over 14,464 jobs – driven by hybrid and electric vehicles (12,929).
“Over the past 13 years, we have continued to watch the exponential growth of solar in the United States,” says T.J. Kanczuzewski, Chairman and Co-Founder at Inovateus Solar. “While progressive states on the east and west coasts continue to lead the solar charge, our region is becoming a force to be reckoned with. We have seen great strides being made in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio mostly because solar energy is now competitive with other mainstream sources of energy.”
Released today, Clean Jobs Midwest highlights energy efficiency’s growing importance to Indiana’s energy economy – adding 1,385 new jobs from 2016 to 2017 (2.6% job growth). Overall, Indiana now employs five times more workers in clean energy than fossil fuels.
Contributing the most clean energy jobs were Marion County (15,592), Allen County (5,571), and Elkhart County (5,419). Indianapolis and Chicago metro areas combined are home to 33,354 jobs while over 16,000 jobs came from Indiana’s rural areas.
“The beauty of data is that it cuts through political rhetoric. These findings show that clean energy jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency are growing across the region and that the Midwest continues to demonstrate it is a fertile region for clean energy innovation, enabling businesses to launch, grow, and create jobs,” said Erik G. Birkerts, CEO of Clean Energy Trust. “Everyone should embrace and support these sectors that are driving economic development.”
Detailed and interactive breakdowns of Indiana’s clean energy economy are available at CleanJobsMidwest.com – including job totals for every Indiana county, congressional district, and state legislative district.
Other key findings:
Renewable energy, led by wind and solar, employs 10,682 Indiana residents
Over 3,800 Indiana residents now work in grid modernization and energy storage
The majority of Indiana’s clean energy jobs are in 80.7% construction and manufacturing
Clean fuels and clean vehicle technologies employ 15,237 workers
Employers project 6.1% clean energy job growth in 2018
Small businesses are driving Indiana’s clean energy sectors, with 72.1% of clean energy businesses employing fewer than 20 individuals
14.1% of Indiana residents employed in clean energy are veterans
“Clean jobs count in Indiana,” said Micaela Preskill, E2’s Midwest Advocate. “With further investment and smart state policy, clean jobs will continue power Indiana’s economy into the next decade.”
Across the entire 12-state region, Clean Jobs Midwest found that clean energy employment totaled 714,255 at the end of last year – led by Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio each with more than 100,000 jobs and four other states each accounting for over 50,000 jobs.
The report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.2 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on the 2018 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) released in May by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). CET and E2 were partners on the USEER.
