Energy Efficiency · Colorado

Colorado Energy Efficiency jobs: 40,318 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Colorado employs 40,318 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 1.7% of the U.S. total. That makes Colorado the 23rd-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.

Energy Efficiency Jobs in Colorado (2024)

40,318 Rank #23 of 51

National share: 1.69% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.

Typical Median Wage

$75,300
Sector-wide BLS OES median across 3 tracked occupations.

1. Employment Landscape

Colorado ranks 23rd out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 40,318 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 8,768 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 271,772 energy efficiency workers.

1.1 Colorado’s position vs. the top 10 and median states

1st · California
312,090
23. Colorado
40,318
25th · Alabama
31,549
51st · Alaska
4,373

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The energy efficiency sector nationwide employs roughly 2,381,744 workers; Colorado accounts for 40,318 of them.

1.3 Where Colorado sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 40,318 #23
Solar 9,312 #9
Wind 7,753 #4
Storage & Grid 2,166 #14
Electric Vehicles 1,497 #21
Hydropower 1,006 #11
Clean Fuels 423 #12
Nuclear 115 #35

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Colorado

Every energy efficiency-related sub-category reported for Colorado in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.

Energy efficiency total
40,318
Certified and efficient lighting
11,835
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component
11,541
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling
8,306
Advanced materials
6,633
Other
2,002

2. Pay & Career Roles in Colorado

Colorado contributes 1.69% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Colorado’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 64.4% of total clean-energy jobs (40,318 of 62,590 workers).

Cost-of-living in Colorado is roughly 5.4% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Colorado is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianColorado-adjustedJob Zone
Energy Engineer $103,940 $109,553 4
Energy Auditor $71,400 $75,256 3
Weatherization Installer & Technician $50,560 $53,290 2

See all 3 energy efficiency occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Colorado employers rate 19.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 32.1% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.2% of Colorado’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
43.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
32.1%
Very difficult hiring
19.1%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.7%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Professional Services 57,079
Construction 29,797
Other Services 22,936
Mining and Extraction 18,621
Utilities 11,048
Trade 10,989
Manufacturing 5,942
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 4,141
Agriculture and Forestry 486

Frequently Asked Questions

How many energy efficiency jobs are there in Colorado?
As of 2024, Colorado has approximately 40,318 energy efficiency jobs — ranked 23rd nationally.
What do these jobs pay?
Median wages across the tracked energy efficiency occupations range from $50,560 to $103,940 according to BLS OES.
Is Colorado a good place to take one of these jobs?
Colorado is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 5.4% above the U.S. average, which raises or lowers real take-home on a BLS national median by a similar amount.

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.