Illinois Leads Midwest in Clean Energy Jobs Creation, Now Home to 132K Clean Jobs

Illinois Leads Midwest in Clean Energy Jobs Creation, Now Home to 132K Clean Jobs

Illinois 5th in the U.S. for clean energy jobs with 3,274 new jobs added last year

Clean energy jobs grew 5x faster than overall Illinois economy

CHICAGO – Clean energy jobs powered job growth in Illinois last year, adding more than 3,200 jobs and outpacing the rest of state employment growth, according to the ninth annual Clean Jobs Midwest report released today by the national, nonpartisan business group E2, Evergreen Climate Innovations, and the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. More than one out of every 10 jobs added in Illinois in 2024 — and more than half of all energy-related jobs — was in clean energy.

Jobs in solar, wind, batteries, energy efficiency, storage and grid and other clean energy subsectors continued to grow faster than the broader economy, accounting for an increasingly large share of the state’s workforce. Despite this continued growth, amid policy uncertainty and a slowing national economy in 2024, Illinois, added about 2,000 fewer jobs than it did in 2023 and clean energy jobs grew at their slowest pace since 2020.

“Illinois is leading the Midwest in clean energy, but with rollbacks at the federal level, we have to keep up the momentum,” said Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Co-State Director Liliana Scales. “The proposed Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (SB25) will create additional jobs in the clean energy space and advance Illinois’ 100% clean energy goal set in CEJA. The bill adds 6 GW of battery storage, helps consumers cut bills through rebates and efficiency programs, and strengthens transmission to deliver more clean electricity reliably and affordably.”

According to the latest report, the clean energy sector in Illinois now counts 132,239 clean energy workers — most in the Midwest and fifth nationally — led by 89,878 jobs in energy efficiency and 19,283 jobs in renewable generation. While clean vehicles lost 150 jobs due to an industry-wide decline across all motor vehicle sectors in 2024, the sub-sector has grown by 50 percent since 2020 and employs nearly 16,000 workers across the state.

"Midwest states continue to recognize the value of investing in clean energy. In 2024, clean energy jobs outperformed the rest of the economy in every state in the region,” Micaela Preskill, E2’s Director of State Advocacy said. “It’s a testament to the sector’s ability to bring jobs to every community, today and as we look to the future.”

Though not reflected in the 2024 data, recent policy actions by Congress and the Trump administration -- to kill projects, revoke tax credits, cancel permits and add new regulatory red tape – have already caused major job losses in the clean energy industry, with more expected to come. According to separate E2 research, since January 2025 companies canceled more than $3.2 billion in planned clean energy related factories and other projects in Illinois that were expected to create over 2,600 new jobs.

Despite clean energy companies and investors reeling from federal decisions slashing clean energy support, the sector’s importance to the region’s overall economy are clearer than ever. Clean energy now accounts for 42.6 percent of all energy and vehicle-related jobs in the state, and 2.2 percent of all jobs. Industry-wide, nearly 60 percent of the sector’s jobs (about 76,000 jobs) are in construction or manufacturing.

"Clean energy jobs across the Midwest are proving more resilient than the broader economy," said Ian Adams, Managing Director at Evergreen Climate Innovations. "This resilience reflects the strength of regional innovation, state leadership, and the ability of companies to keep creating opportunities despite headwinds. Businesses are scaling, creating jobs, and proving that innovation here can drive the clean energy economy forward.”

At the local level, Illinois is home to the top ranked county for clean energy jobs in the Midwest, Cook County with over 56,000 clean energy workers. DuPage, Lake, and Will counties are all home to at least 5,000 clean energy workers and rank in the top 30 in the region.

Veterans made up 9.7% of the clean energy workforce in 2024 and Illinois has the second-most diverse clean energy industry out of any Midwest state.

For a copy of the Clean Jobs Midwest 2025 report to dive deeper into the data including subsector data such as solar and electric vehicle jobs and explore jobs down to the state, county, and metro levels, visit https://www.cleanjobsmidwest.com/.


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