California Clean Fuels jobs: 4,373 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, California employs 4,373 people in the clean fuels sector — about 21.6% of the U.S. total. That makes California the 1st-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.
Clean Fuels Jobs in California (2024)
National share: 21.63% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
California ranks 1st out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 4,373 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 4,143 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 0 clean fuels workers.
1.1 California’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The clean fuels sector nationwide employs roughly 20,220 workers; California accounts for 4,373 of them.
1.3 Where California sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 312,090 | #1 |
| Solar | 116,380 | #1 |
| Electric Vehicles | 48,965 | #1 |
| Storage & Grid | 19,309 | #1 |
| Hydropower | 10,633 | #1 |
| Wind | 8,384 | #3 |
| Clean Fuels | 4,373 | #1 |
| Nuclear | 4,106 | #4 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in California
Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for California in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in California
California contributes 21.63% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within California’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.8% of total clean-energy jobs (4,373 of 524,239 workers).
Cost-of-living in California is roughly 14.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in California is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | California-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) | $100,090 | $114,103 | 4 |
| Biomass Plant Operator | $50,330 | $57,376 | 2 |
See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
California employers rate 19.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 31.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.7% of California’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 | 261,790 |
| Professional Services | 179,480 |
| Other Services | 140,473 |
| Manufacturing | 135,925 |
| Trade | 114,418 |
| Utilities | 78,614 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 18,372 |
| Mining and Extraction | 11,089 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,334 |
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.