Tennessee Clean Fuels jobs: 253 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Tennessee employs 253 people in the clean fuels sector — about 1.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Tennessee the 22nd-largest state for clean fuels jobs nationwide.
Clean Fuels Jobs in Tennessee (2024)
National share: 1.25% of all U.S. clean fuels jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Tennessee ranks 22nd out of 51 U.S. states in clean fuels employment. At 253 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Idaho’s tally by 23 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 4,120 clean fuels workers.
1.1 Tennessee’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; Tennessee accounts for 253 of them.
1.3 Where Tennessee sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 53,319 | #17 |
| Hydropower | 5,802 | #3 |
| Solar | 5,590 | #21 |
| Electric Vehicles | 5,332 | #7 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,137 | #21 |
| Wind | 849 | #35 |
| Clean Fuels | 253 | #22 |
| Nuclear | 94 | #37 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Tennessee
Every clean fuels-related sub-category reported for Tennessee in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Tennessee
Tennessee contributes 1.25% of the nation’s clean fuels workforce. Within Tennessee’s own clean-energy economy, clean fuels accounts for 0.3% of total clean-energy jobs (253 of 72,376 workers).
Cost-of-living in Tennessee is roughly 7.3% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for clean fuels roles in Tennessee is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Tennessee-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer (Clean Fuels) | $100,090 | $92,783 | 4 |
| Biomass Plant Operator | $50,330 | $46,656 | 2 |
See all 2 clean fuels occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Tennessee employers rate 18.2% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 26.6% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 44.8% of Tennessee’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 86,997 |
| Construction | 44,586 |
| Trade | 22,813 |
| Other Services | 22,441 |
| Utilities | 19,794 |
| Professional Services | 15,934 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 6,701 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 390 |
| Mining and Extraction | 379 |
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.