“States with significant job gains include Utah, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee. California remains the state with the largest number of solar jobs nationwide, but jobs in California decreased 14% in 2017. In Massachusetts, the state with the second largest solar workforce, employment decreased by 21%” –The Solar Foundation.

The National Solar Jobs Census of 2017 reported:

  • Between 2012 and 2017 solar employment grew by 110% (16% annually), adding 331,000 jobs
  • Solar makes up for 2% of overall US energy generation. It employs twice as many workers as the coal industry and nearly five times as much nuclear power and roughly the same amount of workers as natural gas
  • Women made up 27% of the solar workforce, 1% from 2016. Veterans made up 9% of solar workers, which is more than the overall US workforce
  • Solar industry wages remain competitive

Solar Employment by the numbers:

  • 250,271 Americans work in the solar industry
  • 485 South Dakotan’s work in the Solar Industry, 2% increase from 2016
  • 129,424 work in solar installation
  • 36,885 work in solar manufacturing
  • 30,912 work in sales and distribution
  • 35,750 work in project development
  • 17,300 work in various other areas such as finance, R&D