Led by the South, clean energy sector added 150,000 jobs last year
A new report found an uptick in employment in the clean energy industry in 2023, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act. Job growth in the industry outpaced the national average.
Nearly 3.5 million people in the United States now work in the clean energy sector, according to a new report, with more than 1 million of those jobs in states across the South.
The report, released Tuesday by the nonpartisan business group E2, found an uptick in employment in the clean energy industry in 2023, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act. The sweeping 2022 law included hundreds of billions of dollars to spur emissions cuts and help the U.S. economy transition away from fossil fuels to fight climate change.
Clean energy and clean vehicle companies added nearly 150,000 new jobs in 2023, the first full year of the Inflation Reduction Act, the report found. Of that total, the South added more than 54,000 clean energy jobs, accounting for 36% of all new jobs in the region.
By comparison, the Midwest, Northeast and West combined added 95,000 clean energy jobs in 2023.
The law, known as IRA, has become a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s environmental record, and in her campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has touted her tie-breaking vote to pass the legislation in the Senate.
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