The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has released the 15th annual National Solar Jobs Census, reporting that the U.S. solar industry employed 280,119 workers in 2024, roughly level with the industry’s 2023 employment.
Although these 2024 data do not capture the impacts of major federal energy policy changes enacted since the new administration took office in January 2025 — such as the cancellation of key tax credits as part of the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act — they establish a crucial baseline for measuring the effects of these policies on solar and other clean energy employment in the years ahead.
The National Solar Jobs Census is the annual count of solar and solar-plus-storage jobs in the United States. It has been published since 2010. The 2024 Census includes employment data from all 50 states, as well as employment figures across sectors and job roles.
“This year’s Census gives the industry and policymakers something they critically need: a clear baseline,” said Chris Nichols, IREC Interim CEO. “Federal policy changes are reshaping the landscape. This Census will serve as the foundation for understanding impacts on workers, communities, and the industry’s capacity to deliver reliable, affordable clean energy in future years.”
“The solar and storage industry is bringing well-paying jobs to communities across the country,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “States like Ohio, Georgia, Utah and Texas are seeing tremendous economic benefits and job growth from solar and storage projects that lower costs for families and businesses and strengthen the grid. Using data from the Solar Census can help employers and policymakers address these challenges.”
Full solar and storage employment picture
The Census counts workers who spend the majority of their time on solar-related activities, resulting in the core figure of 280,119 solar jobs. When including workers who spent a plurality of their time on solar work, total solar employment rises to 370,556 jobs.
The Census also tracked employment in battery energy storage. The expansion of energy storage deployment has led to significant job growth. The number of workers in clean storage occupations increased by 3,905 jobs in 2024, growing 4% year over year to reach 93,497 workers. In the five-year period between 2019 and 2024, the clean storage sector added 13,798 net jobs, marking 17% growth.
Altogether, the solar and storage industries employed 464,053 U.S. workers in 2024. Solar continued to employ more people than any clean energy sector except energy efficiency, and more than three times as many workers as the coal industry.
Job trends by state and industry segment
California remained the top state for solar jobs in 2024 despite losing roughly 1,000 jobs after state policy changes affected its residential market. Florida, Texas, New York and Massachusetts followed as the next-largest employers of solar workers. For the fourth consecutive year, Nevada ranked first in solar jobs per capita. Explore an interactive map of Solar Jobs by State here.
States with notable increases in solar jobs in 2024 included Ohio (5%), Georgia (4.5%), Utah (3.5%) and Texas (3%) — all Republican-leaning “red” states, underscoring that solar energy is being deployed across the political spectrum. Among the 33 states that grew their solar workforce, 25 voted for President Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Employment varied across solar’s major industry segments. There were 178,713 jobs in installation and project development, nearly two-thirds of all solar jobs. There were 34,625 jobs in wholesale trade and distribution; 32,491 in manufacturing, and 21,833 in operations and maintenance. These roles spanned construction, electrical work, engineering, sales, software, marketing, finance and management.
The National Solar Jobs Census draws on data originally collected for the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s United States Energy and Employment Report. The findings are based on IREC’s analysis of a rigorous survey administered by BW Research to 42,800 U.S. energy firms in the fourth quarter of 2024 and first quarter of 2025, with 10,900 firms providing full survey responses.
News item from IREC
