Report: New York clean energy jobs rank fourth in the nation

Posted by author February 27, 2025 Jobs

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Across the state, the bulk of clean energy jobs are in professional services, followed by construction, other services and manufacturing.

New York clean energy jobs have more than doubled since 2016.
Rochester has the most clean energy jobs in the energy efficiency sector.
The Rochester metro has more than 9,000 jobs.

New York’s clean energy jobs have more than doubled since 2016, according to a jobs report from a national nonpartisan business group E2 and advocacy group New Yorkers for Clean Power.

The Empire State now ranks fourth in the United States in total clean energy jobs, led by the energy efficiency and clean vehicle sectors. Of more than 173,000 clean energy jobs, more than 9,000 are found in the Rochester metro area by the end of 2023.

Rochester metro area clean energy jobs by sector

Total jobs: 9,159
Renewable Energy: 898
Storage/grid: 376
Clean fuels: 674
Energy efficiency: 5,898
Clean vehicles: 1,313

Across the state, the bulk of clean energy jobs are in professional services, followed by construction, other services and manufacturing. For renewable energy generation, the majority of jobs were in solar, with 15,490 jobs. Wind (4,482) and bioenergy (1,004) were next.

The state also saw rapid growth in clean vehicle production, up 16% in 2023 to 14,981 workers. It outpaced gas and diesel vehicle sector job growth, which increased just 0.5%.

The New York City metro area has the most clean energy jobs nationwide, with 164,676. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago round out the Top 5.

Where did the boost in jobs come from?

The surge in clean energy jobs was attributed to former President Joe Biden’s landmark climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022. A report from E2 in August 2024 found 334 clean energy projects creating an estimated 109,278 jobs and leveraging $126 billion in private investment. Of those projects, 90% were in the manufacturing sector.

Five states — Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and North Carolina — announced at least 20 projects each. New York, Ohio, Tennessee, California, Indiana and Arizona announced at least 10.

Private sector clean energy projects are tracked by E2 via an online map at e2.org/announcements.

— Steve Howe reports on weather, climate and the Great Lakes for the Democrat and Chronicle. An RIT graduate, he has covered myriad topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics and economic development in New York and Utah.