Rhode Island Energy Efficiency jobs: 11,582 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Rhode Island employs 11,582 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 0.5% of the U.S. total. That makes Rhode Island the 39th-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.
Energy Efficiency Jobs in Rhode Island (2024)
National share: 0.49% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Rhode Island ranks 39th out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 11,582 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 19,968 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 300,508 energy efficiency workers.
1.1 Rhode Island’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; Rhode Island accounts for 11,582 of them.
1.3 Where Rhode Island sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 11,582 | #39 |
| Solar | 1,566 | #37 |
| Wind | 614 | #38 |
| Storage & Grid | 169 | #49 |
| Electric Vehicles | 128 | #49 |
| Hydropower | 93 | #47 |
| Nuclear | 67 | #39 |
| Clean Fuels | 48 | #47 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Rhode Island
Every energy efficiency-related sub-category reported for Rhode Island in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Rhode Island
Rhode Island contributes 0.49% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Rhode Island’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 81.2% of total clean-energy jobs (11,582 of 14,267 workers).
Cost-of-living in Rhode Island is roughly 0.9% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Rhode Island is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Rhode Island-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
Rhode Island employers rate 19.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 33.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 52.5% of Rhode Island’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 | 8,269 |
| Trade | 4,123 |
| Professional Services | 4,069 |
| Other Services | 3,682 |
| Manufacturing | 1,591 |
| Utilities | 1,502 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 193 |
| Mining and Extraction | 1 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 0 |
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.