Kentucky Energy Efficiency jobs: 25,562 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Kentucky employs 25,562 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 1.1% of the U.S. total. That makes Kentucky the 28th-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.
Energy Efficiency Jobs in Kentucky (2024)
National share: 1.07% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Kentucky ranks 28th out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 25,562 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 5,988 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 286,528 energy efficiency workers.
1.1 Kentucky’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; Kentucky accounts for 25,562 of them.
1.3 Where Kentucky sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 25,562 | #28 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,954 | #11 |
| Solar | 2,268 | #31 |
| Storage & Grid | 822 | #31 |
| Wind | 298 | #47 |
| Hydropower | 154 | #37 |
| Clean Fuels | 142 | #34 |
| Nuclear | 122 | #33 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Kentucky
Every energy efficiency-related sub-category reported for Kentucky in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Kentucky
Kentucky contributes 1.07% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Kentucky’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 79.1% of total clean-energy jobs (25,562 of 32,322 workers).
Cost-of-living in Kentucky is roughly 10.7% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Kentucky is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Kentucky-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Engineer | $103,940 | $92,818 | 4 |
| Energy Auditor | $71,400 | $63,760 | 3 |
| Weatherization Installer & Technician | $50,560 | $45,150 | 2 |
See all 3 energy efficiency occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Kentucky employers rate 20.9% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 26.6% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 47.5% of Kentucky’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 | 78,131 |
| Construction | 20,948 |
| Other Services | 13,174 |
| Trade | 11,333 |
| Professional Services | 9,708 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 8,485 |
| Utilities | 7,670 |
| Mining and Extraction | 6,045 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 558 |
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.