Clean Fuels · Colorado

Colorado Clean Fuels jobs: 423 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Colorado employs 423 people in the clean fuels sector — about 2.1% of the U.S. total. That makes Colorado the 12th-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.

Clean Fuels Jobs in Colorado (2024)

423 Rank #12 of 51

National share: 2.09% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.

Typical Median Wage

$75,210
Sector-wide BLS OES median across 2 tracked occupations.

1. Employment Landscape

Colorado ranks 12th out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 423 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 194 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 3,950 clean fuels workers.

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

1st · California
4,373
12. Colorado
423
25th · Idaho
229
51st · District of Columbia
27

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The clean fuels sector nationwide employs roughly 20,220 workers; Colorado accounts for 423 of them.

1.3 Where Colorado sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 40,318 #23
Solar 9,312 #9
Wind 7,753 #4
Storage & Grid 2,166 #14
Electric Vehicles 1,497 #21
Hydropower 1,006 #11
Clean Fuels 423 #12
Nuclear 115 #35

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Colorado

Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for Colorado in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.

Fuels total
33,042
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)
15,742
Natural gas fuels
8,920
Woody biomass
2,553
Coal fuels
1,680
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass
1,509
Other fuels
1,475
Corn ethanol
669
Other biofuels
423

2. Pay & Career Roles in Colorado

Colorado contributes 2.09% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within Colorado’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.7% of total clean-energy jobs (423 of 62,590 workers).

Cost-of-living in Colorado is roughly 5.4% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in Colorado is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianColorado-adjustedJob Zone
Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) $100,090 $105,495 4
Biomass Plant Operator $50,330 $53,048 2

See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Colorado employers rate 19.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 32.1% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.2% of Colorado’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
43.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
32.1%
Very difficult hiring
19.1%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.7%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Professional Services 57,079
Construction 29,797
Other Services 22,936
Mining and Extraction 18,621
Utilities 11,048
Trade 10,989
Manufacturing 5,942
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 4,141
Agriculture and Forestry 486

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clean fuels jobs are there in Colorado?
As of 2024, Colorado has approximately 423 clean fuels jobs — ranked 12th nationally.
What do these jobs pay?
Median wages across the tracked clean fuels occupations range from $50,330 to $100,090 according to BLS OES.
Is Colorado a good place to take one of these jobs?
Colorado is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 5.4% 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.