FACT BRIEF

Do clean energy jobs far outnumber jobs in the coal industry?

Sunday, March 7, 2021

By Will Gunderson

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YES

The U.S. coal mining industry employed 43,000 people in February 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS classifications don’t measure jobs in transport or utilities related to coal, the source of a diminishing share of the electricity delivered to end users.

Nor do BLS numbers capture jobs directly related to “clean” energy, which involve roles in construction, transport, marketing and other functions in addition to power generation and distribution. A report sponsored by the Energy Department tallied 736,793 jobs in “zero and low emissions” industries in 2019. A wider definition of clean-energy work includes an additional 2.38 million workers supporting adoption of energy-efficient equipment and technology throughout the economy.

The same report estimates that coal on that basis accounts for a total of 75,500 jobs.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Coal mining employment

Energy Futures Initiative: US Energy & Employment Report, 2020 (p. xvii)

International Renewable Energy Agency: Renewable energy employment by country

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