California leads U.S. solar jobs: 116,380 employed in 2024

Where California’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors

Sector	Jobs (2024)	National rank
Energy Efficiency	312,090	#1
Solar	116,380	#1
Electric Vehicles	48,965	#1
Storage & Grid	19,309	#1
Hydropower	10,633	#1
Wind	8,384	#3
Clean Fuels	4,373	#1
Nuclear	4,106	#4

California vs. the solar leader, median, and bottom

1. California

116,380

25th · Hawaii

4,083

51st · Alaska

163

Solar roles and pay in California

Role	SOC	National median	California-adjusted	Job Zone
Electrician	47-2111.00	$61,590	$70,213	3
Solar Photovoltaic Installer	47-2231.00	$51,860	$59,120	2

Employer-reported hiring difficulty in California

Did not hire

44.0%

Somewhat difficult hiring

31.7%

Very difficult hiring

19.0%

Not at all difficult hiring

5.3%

NAICS industry mix for California clean-energy jobs

Construction

261,790

Professional Services

179,480

Other Services

140,473

Manufacturing

135,925

Trade

114,418

Utilities

78,614

Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows

18,372

Mining and Extraction

11,089

Agriculture and Forestry

1,334

California’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type

Solar

116,380

Natural gas electricity

20,091

Traditional hydropower

10,633

Wind

8,384

Bioenergy/Combined heat and power

7,465

Other electricity

4,482

Nuclear electricity

4,106

Coal electricity

1,831

Geothermal electricity

1,737

Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics

1,427

Oil and other fossil fuel electricity

980

Full USEER workbook line items for California

Fuels

Fuels total	71,284
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)	49,062
Natural gas fuels	8,437
Other biofuels	4,373
Other fuels	3,556
Woody biomass	2,390
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass	1,600
Corn ethanol	844
Nuclear fuels	806
Coal fuels	217

Electric Power Generation

Electric power generation total	177,515
Solar	116,380
Natural gas electricity	20,091
Traditional hydropower	10,633
Wind	8,384
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power	7,465
Other electricity	4,482
Nuclear electricity	4,106
Coal electricity	1,831
Geothermal electricity	1,737
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics	1,427
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity	980

Transmission, Distribution & Storage

Transmission, distribution, and storage total	151,704
Traditional transmission and distribution	98,184
Other (including commodity flows)	26,628
Storage	19,309
Smart grid	2,912
Other grid modernization	2,450
Micro grid	2,221

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency total	312,090
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component	114,555
Certified and efficient lighting	69,722
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling	63,811
Other	38,952
Advanced materials	25,050

Motor Vehicles

Motor vehicle total	228,902
Gasoline and diesel vehicles	151,355
Battery electric vehicles	48,965
Hybrid electric vehicles	15,344
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles	6,397
Motor vehicle commodity flows	3,130
Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles	1,935
Natural gas vehicles	1,543
Other vehicles	234

By NAICS Industry

Construction	261,790
Professional Services	179,480
Other Services	140,473
Manufacturing	135,925
Trade	114,418
Utilities	78,614
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows	18,372
Mining and Extraction	11,089
Agriculture and Forestry	1,334

Skill profile for solar roles

Top skills

Troubleshooting3.50

Critical Thinking3.32

Installation3.32

Active Listening3.25

Judgment and Decision Making3.19

Quality Control Analysis3.19

Speaking3.13

Active Learning3.13

Knowledge

Building and Construction4.24

Mechanical3.86

Administration and Management3.85

Design3.72

Mathematics3.68

Customer and Personal Service3.58

Public Safety and Security3.32

Engineering and Technology3.23

Core abilities

Near Vision3.88

Problem Sensitivity3.88

Deductive Reasoning3.57

Information Ordering3.57

Finger Dexterity3.50

Oral Comprehension3.50

Visualization3.50

Inductive Reasoning3.44

Representative tasks for solar workers

Visually inspect and test photovoltaic (PV) modules or systems. (Core)
Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms. (Core)
Install required labels on solar system components and hardware. (Core)
Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified. (Core)
Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components. (Core)
Provide preliminary sketches or cost estimates for materials or services. (Core)
Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors. (Core)
Construct or fabricate parts, using hand tools, according to specifications. (Core)
Compile or maintain records of system operation, performance, and maintenance. (Core)
Advise management on whether continued operation of equipment could be hazardous. (Core)
Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. (Core)
Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets. (Core)

Software and tools used in solar roles

Microsoft Excel 🔥 Microsoft Office software 🔥 Microsoft Outlook 🔥 Microsoft Word 🔥 Adobe Acrobat 🔥 Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥 Microsoft Windows 🔥 Salesforce software 🔥 SAP software 🔥 Extensible markup language XML 🔥 Computer aided design CAD software Insight Direct ServiceCEO Socrates Contractor's Library SoftEmpire Electrical Calculations Lighting calculation software Spreadsheet software Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software AVEVA InTouch HMI Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal Word processing software Construction Master Pro Work scheduling software Cost estimating software Craftsman CD Estimator