Clean Fuels · North Dakota

North Dakota Clean Fuels jobs: 107 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Dakota employs 107 people in the clean fuels sector — about 0.5% of the U.S. total. That makes North Dakota the 40th-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.

Clean Fuels Jobs in North Dakota (2024)

107 Rank #40 of 51

National share: 0.53% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

North Dakota ranks 40th out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 107 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 122 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 4,265 clean fuels workers.

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

1st · California
4,373
25th · Idaho
229
40. North Dakota
107
51st · District of Columbia
27

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The clean fuels sector nationwide employs roughly 20,220 workers; North Dakota accounts for 107 of them.

1.3 Where North Dakota sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 5,583 #50
Wind 1,723 #21
Storage & Grid 368 #42
Solar 352 #49
Electric Vehicles 262 #42
Clean Fuels 107 #40
Hydropower 45 #50

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Dakota

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

Fuels total
33,034
Natural gas fuels
15,478
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)
14,016
Coal fuels
1,793
Other fuels
813
Corn ethanol
717
Other biofuels
107
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass
75
Woody biomass
26

2. Pay & Career Roles in North Dakota

North Dakota contributes 0.53% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within North Dakota’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 1.3% of total clean-energy jobs (107 of 8,441 workers).

Cost-of-living in North Dakota is roughly 9.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in North Dakota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianNorth Dakota-adjustedJob Zone
Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) $100,090 $91,082 4
Biomass Plant Operator $50,330 $45,800 2

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

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

North Dakota employers rate 21.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.1% of North Dakota’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
45.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
29.2%
Very difficult hiring
21.8%
Not at all difficult hiring
3.6%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Mining and Extraction 17,068
Trade 14,191
Construction 9,449
Manufacturing 5,857
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 3,920
Other Services 3,320
Utilities 3,283
Professional Services 1,812
Agriculture and Forestry 551

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clean fuels jobs are there in North Dakota?
As of 2024, North Dakota has approximately 107 clean fuels jobs — ranked 40th 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 North Dakota a good place to take one of these jobs?
North Dakota is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 9.0% below 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.