Illinois Energy Efficiency jobs: 89,878 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Illinois employs 89,878 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 3.8% of the U.S. total. That makes Illinois the 5th-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.
Energy Efficiency Jobs in Illinois (2024)
National share: 3.77% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Illinois ranks 5th out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 89,878 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 58,328 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 222,212 energy efficiency workers.
1.1 Illinois’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The energy efficiency sector nationwide employs roughly 2,381,744 workers; Illinois accounts for 89,878 of them.
1.3 Where Illinois sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 89,878 | #5 |
| Wind | 9,216 | #2 |
| Solar | 7,158 | #15 |
| Electric Vehicles | 4,525 | #8 |
| Nuclear | 4,209 | #2 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,789 | #8 |
| Hydropower | 979 | #12 |
| Clean Fuels | 464 | #11 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Illinois
Every energy efficiency-related sub-category reported for Illinois in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Illinois
Illinois contributes 3.77% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Illinois’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 75.4% of total clean-energy jobs (89,878 of 119,217 workers).
Cost-of-living in Illinois is roughly 0.9% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Illinois is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Illinois-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Engineer | $103,940 | $104,875 | 4 |
| Energy Auditor | $71,400 | $72,043 | 3 |
| Weatherization Installer & Technician | $50,560 | $51,015 | 2 |
See all 3 energy efficiency occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Illinois employers rate 17.2% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 28.0% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 45.2% of Illinois’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 79,577 |
| Construction | 64,186 |
| Professional Services | 47,035 |
| Other Services | 45,006 |
| Trade | 32,565 |
| Utilities | 22,832 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 12,286 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,939 |
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.