South Dakota Clean Fuels jobs: 79 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, South Dakota employs 79 people in the clean fuels sector — about 0.4% of the U.S. total. That makes South Dakota the 43rd-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.
Clean Fuels Jobs in South Dakota (2024)
National share: 0.39% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
South Dakota ranks 43rd out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 79 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 150 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 4,294 clean fuels workers.
1.1 South Dakota’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; South Dakota accounts for 79 of them.
1.3 Where South Dakota sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 7,898 | #45 |
| Wind | 1,831 | #18 |
| Solar | 743 | #46 |
| Storage & Grid | 340 | #43 |
| Electric Vehicles | 327 | #40 |
| Clean Fuels | 79 | #43 |
| Hydropower | 65 | #48 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in South Dakota
Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for South Dakota in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in South Dakota
South Dakota contributes 0.39% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within South Dakota’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.7% of total clean-energy jobs (79 of 11,282 workers).
Cost-of-living in South Dakota is roughly 10.3% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in South Dakota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | South Dakota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) | $100,090 | $89,781 | 4 |
| Biomass Plant Operator | $50,330 | $45,146 | 2 |
See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
South Dakota employers rate 14.7% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.0% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 43.7% of South Dakota’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 | 9,080 |
| Manufacturing | 5,860 |
| Trade | 5,444 |
| Other Services | 3,922 |
| Utilities | 2,008 |
| Professional Services | 1,638 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 955 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 622 |
| Mining and Extraction | 65 |
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.