Clean energy and clean vehicle jobs in Ohio set a record in 2024, growing to more than 121,000 jobs – a 1.5 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 121,000 Ohioans, topping the previous year. Jobs increased 1.5 percent (+1,797) in 2024. Clean energy’s economic role in the region is vital: the industry added jobs over 5 times faster than Ohio’s overall economy, and more than 4 times as many Ohioans work in clean energy than the number of lawyers, web developers, and real estate agents combined. Job growth is expected to surge in 2025 (+7 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 Ohio
Bright spots for the industry include energy efficiency. Energy efficiency comprises about two-thirds of all the region’s clean energy jobs, and it grew by more than 2,600 jobs — top among all sectors. Over 81,000 Ohioans manufacture energy-efficient appliances, install efficient lighting, connect heat pumps and other highly efficient HVAC systems, construct buildings using materials like low-carbon concrete, or work in other energy efficiency-related jobs.
Clean vehicles is second-largest clean energy sector, employing more than 23,000 Ohioans who work on EVs, hybrid EVs, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles. Last year, the sector lost 1,249 jobs due to a combination of automation, lower-than-expected consumer demand, policy uncertainty, and supply chain restructuring. Renewable energy jobs topped 11,000 last year, spurred by a 6.6 percent growth in wind jobs. Clean grid and storage jobs grew to more than 3,500 jobs, up 5.3 percent from the previous year.
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: Ohio 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 Ohio were in construction and manufacturing.
Job Highlights
Learn even more about clean energy jobs in Ohio.
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.
