North Carolina Clean Fuels jobs: 571 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Carolina employs 571 people in the clean fuels sector — about 2.8% of the U.S. total. That makes North Carolina the 9th-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.
Clean Fuels Jobs in North Carolina (2024)
National share: 2.82% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
North Carolina ranks 9th out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 571 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 341 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 3,802 clean fuels workers.
1.1 North Carolina’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; North Carolina accounts for 571 of them.
1.3 Where North Carolina sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 83,490 | #7 |
| Solar | 10,224 | #7 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,747 | #14 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,020 | #15 |
| Wind | 1,731 | #20 |
| Nuclear | 1,565 | #15 |
| Hydropower | 806 | #16 |
| Clean Fuels | 571 | #9 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Carolina
Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for North Carolina in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in North Carolina
North Carolina contributes 2.82% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within North Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.6% of total clean-energy jobs (571 of 103,154 workers).
Cost-of-living in North Carolina is roughly 3.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in North Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | North Carolina-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) | $100,090 | $96,287 | 4 |
| Biomass Plant Operator | $50,330 | $48,417 | 2 |
See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
North Carolina employers rate 18.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 36.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 55.0% of North Carolina’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 | 54,511 |
| Professional Services | 47,657 |
| Manufacturing | 44,541 |
| Other Services | 39,092 |
| Trade | 23,647 |
| Utilities | 14,591 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,791 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,119 |
| Mining and Extraction | 301 |
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.