Iowa Clean Fuels jobs: 231 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Iowa employs 231 people in the clean fuels sector — about 1.1% of the U.S. total. That makes Iowa the 25th-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.
Clean Fuels Jobs in Iowa (2024)
National share: 1.15% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Iowa ranks 25th out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 231 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 2 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 4,141 clean fuels workers.
1.1 Iowa’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; Iowa accounts for 231 of them.
1.3 Where Iowa sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 21,088 | #30 |
| Wind | 3,895 | #9 |
| Solar | 1,405 | #40 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,190 | #25 |
| Storage & Grid | 901 | #30 |
| Nuclear | 626 | #27 |
| Clean Fuels | 231 | #25 |
| Hydropower | 125 | #40 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Iowa
Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for Iowa in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Iowa
Iowa contributes 1.15% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within Iowa’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.8% of total clean-energy jobs (231 of 29,462 workers).
Cost-of-living in Iowa is roughly 9.9% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in Iowa is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Iowa-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) | $100,090 | $90,181 | 4 |
| Biomass Plant Operator | $50,330 | $45,347 | 2 |
See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Iowa employers rate 23.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 24.8% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 47.7% of Iowa’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 | 24,088 |
| Manufacturing | 18,675 |
| Trade | 14,334 |
| Other Services | 11,679 |
| Utilities | 6,403 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 4,558 |
| Professional Services | 4,427 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,487 |
| Mining and Extraction | 41 |
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.