Green Energy Jobs in the US: What Are They, and Where Are They?

This white paper describes a study of jobs posted online in the U.S. to answer the questions “Does the growth of renewable energy benefit U.S. workers?” and “Which workers stand to benefit the most?” Until now, evidence on green energy jobs has been limited due to measurement issues. The white paper uses data to create a new measure of green jobs, defined as solar and wind jobs, and uses job titles and task requirements to define green jobs. The study’s results suggest that the growth of renewable energy leads to the creation of relatively high paying jobs which are more often than not located in areas that stand to lose from a decline in fossil fuel extraction jobs.