Wind · Minnesota
Minnesota Wind jobs: 2,870 employed (2024)
Wind Jobs in Minnesota (2024)
2,870
Rank #12 of 51
2.16% of U.S.
Minnesota-adjusted median
$79,484
Across 2 tracked wind roles, BEA RPP × 0.98.
Where Minnesota’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 46,177 | #19 |
| Solar | 5,390 | #22 |
| Wind | 2,870 | #12 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,210 | #12 |
| Nuclear | 1,761 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,341 | #23 |
| Hydropower | 1,063 | #10 |
| Clean Fuels | 377 | #15 |
Minnesota vs. the wind leader, median, and bottom
1st · Texas
28,124
12. Minnesota
2,870
25th · Arizona
1,489
51st · Delaware
98
Wind roles and pay in Minnesota
| Role | SOC | National median | Minnesota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind Energy Engineer | 17-2199.10 | $100,940 | $98,618 | 4 |
| Wind Turbine Service Technician | 49-9081.00 | $61,770 | $60,349 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Minnesota
Did not hire
44.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
34.3%
Very difficult hiring
15.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.9%
NAICS industry mix for Minnesota clean-energy jobs
Construction
43,201
Trade
18,589
Other Services
18,110
Manufacturing
16,970
Professional Services
15,203
Utilities
13,997
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
3,043
Agriculture and Forestry
1,707
Mining and Extraction
205
Minnesota’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
5,390
Wind
2,870
Other electricity
2,635
Nuclear electricity
1,761
Coal electricity
1,158
Natural gas electricity
1,109
Traditional hydropower
1,063
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
556
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
207
Geothermal electricity
145
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
103
Full USEER workbook line items for Minnesota
Fuels
| Fuels total | 10,761 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 6,500 |
| Corn ethanol | 1,716 |
| Natural gas fuels | 617 |
| Other fuels | 518 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 385 |
| Other biofuels | 377 |
| Woody biomass | 350 |
| Nuclear fuels | 265 |
| Coal fuels | 35 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 16,997 |
| Solar | 5,390 |
| Wind | 2,870 |
| Other electricity | 2,635 |
| Nuclear electricity | 1,761 |
| Coal electricity | 1,158 |
| Natural gas electricity | 1,109 |
| Traditional hydropower | 1,063 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 556 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 207 |
| Geothermal electricity | 145 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 103 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 22,894 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 17,487 |
| Storage | 2,210 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 2,162 |
| Other grid modernization | 375 |
| Micro grid | 364 |
| Smart grid | 296 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 46,177 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 12,635 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 11,715 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 9,580 |
| Other | 7,565 |
| Advanced materials | 4,682 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 34,198 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 26,181 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 2,050 |
| Other vehicles | 1,839 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 1,437 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 1,341 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 917 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 229 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 205 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 43,201 |
| Trade | 18,589 |
| Other Services | 18,110 |
| Manufacturing | 16,970 |
| Professional Services | 15,203 |
| Utilities | 13,997 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,043 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,707 |
| Mining and Extraction | 205 |
Skill profile for wind roles
Top skills
Critical Thinking3.75
Reading Comprehension3.50
Complex Problem Solving3.32
Judgment and Decision Making3.31
Operations Monitoring3.31
Active Listening3.25
Speaking3.25
Systems Analysis3.25
Knowledge
Engineering and Technology4.25
Computers and Electronics4.08
English Language4.06
Mechanical3.92
Mathematics3.83
Physics3.65
Design3.48
Administration and Management3.44
Core abilities
Deductive Reasoning3.75
Problem Sensitivity3.69
Oral Comprehension3.57
Inductive Reasoning3.50
Near Vision3.50
Written Comprehension3.50
Oral Expression3.32
Written Expression3.19
Representative tasks for wind workers
- Inspect or repair fiberglass turbine blades. (Supplemental)
- Collect turbine data for testing or research and analysis. (Core)
- Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems. (Supplemental)
- Write reports to document wind farm collector system test results. (Supplemental)
- Climb wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment. (Core)
- Perform root cause analysis on wind turbine tower component failures. (Supplemental)
- Test wind turbine equipment to determine effects of stress or fatigue. (Supplemental)
- Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems. (Core)
- Oversee the work activities of wind farm consultants or subcontractors. (Supplemental)
- Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations. (Core)
- Provide engineering technical support to designers of prototype wind turbines. (Supplemental)
- Assist in assembly of individual wind generators or construction of wind farms. (Supplemental)
Software and tools used in wind roles
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Python 🔥
Bentley MicroStation 🔥
Git 🔥
Microsoft SQL Server 🔥
C# 🔥
Microsoft Visio 🔥
C++ 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
JUnit 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
Linux 🔥
Microsoft Visual Studio 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
Tableau 🔥
Microsoft .NET Framework 🔥
Education & training paths into wind
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification2.8%
Apprenticeship2.4%
OJ
On-the-Job Training12.5%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training11.8%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education18.2%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience12.5%