Clean Fuels · South Carolina

South Carolina Clean Fuels jobs: 249 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, South Carolina employs 249 people in the clean fuels sector — about 1.2% of the U.S. total. That makes South Carolina the 23rd-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.

Clean Fuels Jobs in South Carolina (2024)

249 Rank #23 of 51

National share: 1.23% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

South Carolina ranks 23rd out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 249 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 20 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 4,123 clean fuels workers.

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

1st · California
4,373
23. South Carolina
249
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; South Carolina accounts for 249 of them.

1.3 Where South Carolina sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 31,530 #27
Hydropower 7,415 #2
Nuclear 4,306 #1
Solar 4,176 #25
Electric Vehicles 1,994 #18
Wind 1,818 #19
Storage & Grid 1,097 #22
Clean Fuels 249 #23

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in South Carolina

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

Fuels total
6,211
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)
2,420
Woody biomass
1,175
Natural gas fuels
633
Corn ethanol
442
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass
368
Other fuels
301
Other biofuels
249
Coal fuels
37

2. Pay & Career Roles in South Carolina

South Carolina contributes 1.23% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within South Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.5% of total clean-energy jobs (249 of 52,585 workers).

Cost-of-living in South Carolina is roughly 5.7% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in South Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianSouth Carolina-adjustedJob Zone
Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) $100,090 $94,385 4
Biomass Plant Operator $50,330 $47,461 2

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

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

South Carolina employers rate 28.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 21.9% as “somewhat difficult”) — tighter than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.0% of South Carolina’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
44.3%
Very difficult hiring
28.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
21.9%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.7%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Manufacturing 50,545
Construction 28,144
Trade 25,163
Other Services 17,799
Utilities 12,125
Professional Services 7,687
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 4,875
Agriculture and Forestry 815
Mining and Extraction 127

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clean fuels jobs are there in South Carolina?
As of 2024, South Carolina has approximately 249 clean fuels jobs — ranked 23rd 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 South Carolina a good place to take one of these jobs?
South Carolina is currently tight (employers here struggle to fill roles). Cost-of-living runs 5.7% 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.