The United States recorded a loss of 36,949 clean energy jobs in 2025, marking the first annual decline since the pandemic. This downturn ended four consecutive years of growth and erased nearly 40% of the employment gains achieved in 2024. Total employment in the sector fell to 3.52 million workers.
According to data from the US Department of Energy analyzed by E2, the losses affected 35 states. California experienced the largest reduction with nearly 21,000 jobs lost, while Florida saw an increase of approximately 3,800 positions. Declines were observed in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric vehicle sectors.
The report links the decline to federal policy changes and the cancellation or downsizing of 142 projects related to manufacturing, generation, and storage. While battery storage, grid work, and biofuels saw minor gains, the broader US energy industry lost an estimated 86,000 jobs in 2025, with clean energy accounting for 43% of that total.
Despite the decline, clean energy remains the largest segment of the US energy workforce with over 3.5 million employees. For comparison, the oil and gas industry employs 958,000 people, coal companies have 125,000 workers, and the nuclear sector accounts for 70,000 jobs. A full report is expected in October.
