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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Do clean energy jobs pay less than fossil fuel jobs?

Friday, February 5, 2021

By Austin Tannenbaum

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Clean energy jobs pay slightly more than fossil fuel jobs, according to E2, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group of business leaders advocating for sustainable development policies.

Using the latest available Labor Department data, E2 found that fossil fuel jobs paid on average $24.37 an hour while clean energy jobs paid on average $24.85 an hour in 2019. The clean energy industry, which includes fields such as renewable energy production, energy storage, grid modernization, energy efficiency and clean transportation, employs about three times as many people as the fossil fuel industry. Clean energy job growth outpaces job growth in the rest of the economy, including the fossil fuel industry.

Clean energy wages are 25% higher than the national median, have higher unionization rates than the rest of the private sector and are more likely to include retirement and health care benefits.

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

Sources

E2 E2: Clean jobs, better jobs—An examination of clean energy job wages and benefits

MarketWatch: How much do Biden’s clean-energy jobs pay, and which US states have the most?

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.