Energy Efficiency · Minnesota

Minnesota Energy Efficiency jobs: 46,177 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Minnesota employs 46,177 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 1.9% of the U.S. total. That makes Minnesota the 19th-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.

Energy Efficiency Jobs in Minnesota (2024)

46,177 Rank #19 of 51

National share: 1.94% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

Minnesota ranks 19th out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 46,177 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 14,627 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 265,913 energy efficiency workers.

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

1st · California
312,090
19. Minnesota
46,177
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; Minnesota accounts for 46,177 of them.

1.3 Where Minnesota sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 46,177 #19
Solar 5,390 #22
Wind 2,870 #12
Storage & Grid 2,210 #12
Nuclear 1,761 #14
Electric Vehicles 1,341 #23
Hydropower 1,063 #10
Clean Fuels 377 #15

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Minnesota

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

Energy efficiency total
46,177
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling
12,635
Certified and efficient lighting
11,715
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component
9,580
Other
7,565
Advanced materials
4,682

2. Pay & Career Roles in Minnesota

Minnesota contributes 1.94% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Minnesota’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 75.5% of total clean-energy jobs (46,177 of 61,189 workers).

Cost-of-living in Minnesota is roughly 2.3% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Minnesota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianMinnesota-adjustedJob Zone
Energy Engineer $103,940 $101,549 4
Energy Auditor $71,400 $69,758 3
Weatherization Installer & Technician $50,560 $49,397 2

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

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Minnesota employers rate 15.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 34.3% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.8% of Minnesota’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
44.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
34.3%
Very difficult hiring
15.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.9%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Construction 43,201
Trade 18,589
Other Services 18,110
Manufacturing 16,970
Professional Services 15,203
Utilities 13,997
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 3,043
Agriculture and Forestry 1,707
Mining and Extraction 205

Frequently Asked Questions

How many energy efficiency jobs are there in Minnesota?
As of 2024, Minnesota has approximately 46,177 energy efficiency jobs — ranked 19th 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 Minnesota a good place to take one of these jobs?
Minnesota is currently relatively loose. Cost-of-living runs 2.3% below 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.