California Electric Vehicles jobs: 48,965 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, California employs 48,965 people in the electric vehicles sector — about 33% of the U.S. total. That makes California the 1st-largest state for electric vehicles jobs nationwide.
Electric Vehicles Jobs in California (2024)
National share: 33.02% of all U.S. electric vehicles jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
California ranks 1st out of 51 U.S. states in electric vehicles employment. At 48,965 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Oregon’s tally by 47,853 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 0 electric vehicles workers.
1.1 California’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The electric vehicles sector nationwide employs roughly 148,277 workers; California accounts for 48,965 of them.
1.3 Where California sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 312,090 | #1 |
| Solar | 116,380 | #1 |
| Electric Vehicles | 48,965 | #1 |
| Storage & Grid | 19,309 | #1 |
| Hydropower | 10,633 | #1 |
| Wind | 8,384 | #3 |
| Clean Fuels | 4,373 | #1 |
| Nuclear | 4,106 | #4 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in California
Every electric vehicles-related sub-category reported for California in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in California
California contributes 33.02% of the nation’s electric vehicles workforce. Within California’s own clean-energy economy, electric vehicles accounts for 9.3% of total clean-energy jobs (48,965 of 524,239 workers).
Cost-of-living in California is roughly 14.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for electric vehicles roles in California is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | California-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Technician (EV) | $66,940 | $76,312 | 3 |
| Automotive Service Technician (EV) | $47,770 | $54,458 | 3 |
See all 2 electric vehicles occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
California employers rate 19.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 31.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.7% of California’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.
4.1 Employer hiring difficulty
4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group
| Industry (NAICS group) | Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|
| Construction | 261,790 |
| Professional Services | 179,480 |
| Other Services | 140,473 |
| Manufacturing | 135,925 |
| Trade | 114,418 |
| Utilities | 78,614 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 18,372 |
| Mining and Extraction | 11,089 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,334 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Data source: U.S. Department of Energy — 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (reflecting 2024 employment); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics; O*NET Occupation Database 29.1.
Last updated: April 2026.