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More than 50k Missourians work in clean energy

7 in 10 clean energy workers are involved in Energy Efficiency

  • Clean energy jobs grew 2.9% in 2018
  • St. Louis, Jackson, and St. Louis City counties lead Missouri in clean energy jobs
  • Clean energy employs 48,174 more Missourians than fossil fuels

St. Louis, Missouri – (April 9, 2019) – More than 55,000 Missourians now work in clean energy industries after adding 1,562 jobs in 2018, according to a new analysis of energy jobs data from Clean Energy Trust (CET) and the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs). Overall, Missouri now employs 48,174 more workers in clean energy than fossil fuels (7,695).

Missouri’s clean energy workforce employs more than 6 times as many people than all the computer programmers and web developers in the state, according to Department of Labor Employment Statistics.

Led by 4.2 percent growth in energy efficiency, Missouri’s clean energy jobs now make up 1.9 percent of all jobs in Missouri with employers expecting a 7.7 percent increase in jobs for 2019. Across all industries, clean jobs grew 2.9 percent in 2018.

“Clean energy is more important than ever to our economic future,” said Steve O’Rourke, Principal of St. Louis-based EnerGuidance. “The transition away from reliance on fossil fuels is coming, and this report shows Missouri businesses and workers all over the state are not only benefitting, but are prepared to take advantage of a clean energy future.”

Energy efficiency once again led all clean energy sectors in Missouri, employing 41,845 workers – accounting for seven in 10 of all clean energy workers. Advanced Transportation came in second (5,973), followed by Renewable Energy Generation (5,251).

Released today, Clean Jobs Midwest highlights Missouri’s growing importance in America’s transition to advanced transportation, with solar and wind energy now home to 4,309 jobs combined.

Contributing the most clean energy jobs were St. Louis County (12,202), Jackson County (9,167), and St. Louis City County (4,077). There are 32,588 jobs in St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas combined while 12,403 jobs came from the Missouri’s rural areas.

“With job growth across the renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and advanced transportation sectors, this report shows that Midwestern economies are benefiting from the clean energy industry,” said Erik G. Birkerts, CEO of Clean Energy Trust. “Further, this report indicates that the Midwest is creating jobs in the clean energy industry more quickly than the rest of the country – a sign the Midwest is a good place for clean energy businesses to grow.”

Detailed and interactive breakdowns of Missouri’s clean energy economy are available at CleanJobsMidwest.com  – including job totals for every Missouri county, congressional district, and state legislative district.

Other key findings:

  • 1,889 Missourians now work in grid modernization (1,201) and energy storage (688).
  • Construction (50.5%) and manufacturing (22.6%) make up the majority of clean energy jobs.
  • Electric power generation jobs using fossil fuels (3,259) employed 1,992 less workers than renewable energy generation jobs (5,251).
  • Small businesses are driving Missouri’s clean energy sectors, with 70.5 percent of clean energy businesses employing fewer than 20 individuals.
  • 10.3 percent of Missourians employed in clean energy are veterans, compared to the national average of six percent.

“Since we began tracking this data four years ago, the Midwest has seen significant growth every year—adding nearly 170,000 clean energy jobs since 2015,” said Micaela Preskill, E2 Midwest States Advocate. “This report clearly proves that clean energy in the Midwest is not just a trend, it is driving economic growth and opportunities across the region.”

Across the entire 12-state region, Clean Jobs Midwest found that clean energy employment totaled 737,030 at the end of last year – led by Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio each with each more than 100,000 jobs and four other states accounting for over 50,000 jobs.

The report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.3 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on data from the 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. The report was is available at www.usenergyjobs.org. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fourth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016 and subsequently abandoned under the Trump administration. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.

To speak with business leaders in the Midwest who support strong investments in clean energy and their impact on America’s economy, please contact Michael Timberlake at (202) 289-2407.

More information about E2’s clean energy jobs research can be found at www.e2.org/reports.

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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.

Clean Energy Trust brings cleantech innovation to market by finding, funding, and growing high-impact cleantech startups from the Midwest. Structured as a nonprofit, Clean Energy Trust makes seed investments and provides patient, hands-on support to help entrepreneurs scale and succeed. To date, Clean Energy Trust has invested in 27 companies across the Midwest. Learn more at www.cleanenergytrust.org or follow us on Twitter at @cleanenergytrst.

The 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report was produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. The report is available at www.usenergyjobs.org.