Energy Efficiency · Washington

Washington Energy Efficiency jobs: 61,884 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Washington employs 61,884 people in the energy efficiency sector — about 2.6% of the U.S. total. That makes Washington the 13th-largest state for energy efficiency jobs nationwide.

Energy Efficiency Jobs in Washington (2024)

61,884 Rank #13 of 51

National share: 2.60% of all U.S. energy efficiency jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

Washington ranks 13th out of 51 U.S. states in energy efficiency employment. At 61,884 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Alabama’s tally by 30,334 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 250,206 energy efficiency workers.

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

1st · California
312,090
13. Washington
61,884
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; Washington accounts for 61,884 of them.

1.3 Where Washington sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 61,884 #13
Solar 5,845 #18
Wind 3,485 #10
Storage & Grid 2,790 #7
Hydropower 2,676 #7
Clean Fuels 1,444 #2
Electric Vehicles 1,346 #22
Nuclear 608 #28

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Washington

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

Energy efficiency total
61,884
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component
18,606
Certified and efficient lighting
15,075
Other
12,635
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling
8,468
Advanced materials
7,099

2. Pay & Career Roles in Washington

Washington contributes 2.60% of the nation’s energy efficiency workforce. Within Washington’s own clean-energy economy, energy efficiency accounts for 77.3% of total clean-energy jobs (61,884 of 80,078 workers).

Cost-of-living in Washington is roughly 8.1% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for energy efficiency roles in Washington is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianWashington-adjustedJob Zone
Energy Engineer $103,940 $112,359 4
Energy Auditor $71,400 $77,183 3
Weatherization Installer & Technician $50,560 $54,655 2

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

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Washington employers rate 21.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 21.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 43.0% of Washington’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
53.4%
Very difficult hiring
21.6%
Somewhat difficult hiring
21.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
3.6%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Construction 52,600
Professional Services 27,791
Other Services 21,844
Trade 15,877
Utilities 14,773
Manufacturing 14,722
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 3,231
Agriculture and Forestry 428
Mining and Extraction 99

Frequently Asked Questions

How many energy efficiency jobs are there in Washington?
As of 2024, Washington has approximately 61,884 energy efficiency jobs — ranked 13th 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 Washington a good place to take one of these jobs?
Washington is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 8.1% 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.