Oregon Solar workforce: 5,807 workers, 19th in U.S. (2024)

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

Sector	Jobs (2024)	National rank
Energy Efficiency	41,357	#21
Solar	5,807	#19
Hydropower	1,774	#8
Wind	1,717	#22
Storage & Grid	1,578	#18
Electric Vehicles	1,112	#26
Clean Fuels	601	#7
Nuclear	199	#30

Oregon vs. the solar leader, median, and bottom

1st · California

116,380

19. Oregon

5,807

25th · Hawaii

4,083

51st · Alaska

163

States with comparable solar employment

Solar roles and pay in Oregon

Role	SOC	National median	Oregon-adjusted	Job Zone
Electrician	47-2111.00	$61,590	$63,930	3
Solar Photovoltaic Installer	47-2231.00	$51,860	$53,831	2

Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Oregon

Did not hire

48.3%

Somewhat difficult hiring

28.2%

Very difficult hiring

17.8%

Not at all difficult hiring

5.7%

NAICS industry mix for Oregon clean-energy jobs

Construction

31,116

Manufacturing

18,022

Other Services

14,819

Professional Services

12,911

Trade

9,210

Utilities

7,146

Agriculture and Forestry

2,996

Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows

1,198

Mining and Extraction

48

Oregon’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type

Solar

5,807

Traditional hydropower

1,774

Wind

1,717

Natural gas electricity

728

Bioenergy/Combined heat and power

372

Other electricity

216

Coal electricity

203

Nuclear electricity

199

Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics

172

Geothermal electricity

117

Oil and other fossil fuel electricity

80

Full USEER workbook line items for Oregon

Fuels

Fuels total	5,764
Woody biomass	3,700
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)	611
Other biofuels	601
Natural gas fuels	261
Other fuels	220
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass	158
Corn ethanol	155
Nuclear fuels	47
Coal fuels	12

Electric Power Generation

Electric power generation total	11,386
Solar	5,807
Traditional hydropower	1,774
Wind	1,717
Natural gas electricity	728
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power	372
Other electricity	216
Coal electricity	203
Nuclear electricity	199
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics	172
Geothermal electricity	117
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity	80

Transmission, Distribution & Storage

Transmission, distribution, and storage total	13,572
Traditional transmission and distribution	8,304
Other grid modernization	1,688
Storage	1,578
Other (including commodity flows)	1,418
Smart grid	333
Micro grid	251

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency total	41,357
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling	10,688
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component	10,614
Advanced materials	8,917
Certified and efficient lighting	5,819
Other	5,319

Motor Vehicles

Motor vehicle total	25,386
Gasoline and diesel vehicles	19,615
Hybrid electric vehicles	1,700
Other vehicles	1,122
Battery electric vehicles	1,112
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles	767
Motor vehicle commodity flows	707
Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles	192
Natural gas vehicles	171

By NAICS Industry

Construction	31,116
Manufacturing	18,022
Other Services	14,819
Professional Services	12,911
Trade	9,210
Utilities	7,146
Agriculture and Forestry	2,996
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows	1,198
Mining and Extraction	48

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 🔥 Extensible markup language XML 🔥 Adobe Acrobat 🔥 Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥 Microsoft Windows 🔥 Salesforce software 🔥 SAP software 🔥 Computer aided design CAD software SmartDraw Socrates Contractor's Library Insight Direct ServiceCEO 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