Clean energy and clean vehicle jobs in Nebraska set a record in 2023, growing to more than 21,000 jobs – a 3.4 percent increase over the previous year. Following federal climate investments passed in 2022, the industry is poised for more growth.
Quick Facts
Clean energy and clean vehicle companies employ more than 21,000 Nebraskans, topping the previous year. Jobs increased 3.4 percent (+700) in 2024. Clean energy’s economic role in the region is vital: the industry added jobs over 2 times faster than Nebraska’s overall economy, and more than 3 times as many Nebraskans work in clean energy than the number of lawyers and real estate agents combined. Job growth is expected to surge in 2025 (+4.5 percent). If federal clean energy and clean vehicle incentives are rolled back, the job growth and resurgence of clean energy manufacturing could be at risk.
Clean Energy Jobs in Nebraska
Energy efficiency comprises about two-thirds of Nebraska’s clean energy jobs. These 13,855 Nebraskans spend their workdays doing things like manufacturing ENERGY STAR-rated appliances; installing efficient lighting; connecting heat pumps and other highly efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; and constructing homes and commercial buildings using advanced materials like low-carbon concrete.
Nebraskans working in the clean vehicle sector, including electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid EVs, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles, still registered a 11-percent year-over-year spike, adding 247 new jobs for 2,412 workers. Within the clean vehicle sector, EV jobs had the steepest growth rate at +12.5 percent.
Renewable energy job growth in solar (+6 percent) and wind (+6.6 percent) continued across Nebraska as did growth in grid & storage sector jobs, driven by emerging subsectors like battery storage (+8.6 percent) and smart grid modernization (+7.2 percent).
Jobs by Sector
Policies Matter
The One Big Beautiful Bill aggressively winds down long-standing wind, solar, vehicle, and energy efficiency tax credits, threatening to kill clean energy projects, increase energy costs, and slow the rapid onshoring of domestic clean energy manufacturing. Already, businesses have canceled, closed, and scaled back more than $22 billion* worth of new projects and factories.
To retain some of the clean energy projects that are fueling the economy by creating jobs, keeping energy costs down, and helping meet rising energy demand, policymakers should:
- Oppose federal policies that undermine the region’s clean energy jobs and investments: Additional federal hurdles and taxes, including new red tape for building on public lands and changes to Treasury Department rules, will drive away investments in Illinois, increase market uncertainty and kill local jobs.
- Power data centers with clean energy: The rapid rise in data centers is contributing to unprecedented energy demand. As states grapple with how to power these centers, they must prioritize the commonsense, low-cost, clean options. Utility-scale solar and onshore wind are the cheapest and fastest forms of new energy to deploy.
- Prioritize new transmission: State leadership must work with regional transmission organizations (RTOs) to ensure important new transmission lines are built, creating capacity for the new clean energy projects we need.
- Advance state-level clean energy policies: Nebraska lawmakers should work to fast-track renewable energy deployment before the solar and wind tax credits expire and enact state tax incentives that help fill some of the void left by federal action.
Subsector Details
Value Chain
Across all clean energy sectors, the majority of clean energy jobs in Nebraska were in construction and professional services.
Job Highlights
Learn even more about clean energy jobs in Nebraska.
More Jobs Data
Fact Sheet
Media Kit
Unless otherwise stated, data and analyses presented in this report by Evergreen Climate Innovations and E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) are based on data collected for the 2025 U.S. Energy Employment Report, produced by the U.S. Dept. of Energy and collected and analyzed by BW Research Partnership.
