REPORT: Nebraska Home to 21K Clean Energy Jobs
LINCOLN (October 15, 2025) – Clean energy jobs powered job growth in Nebraska adding 700 jobs last year 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 and Evergreen Climate Innovations.
Amid policy uncertainty as well as slowing job and economic growth in 2024, clean energy jobs grew at their slowest pace since 2020 in Nebraska; the state added 257 fewer jobs than it did in 2023. However, jobs in solar, wind, batteries, energy efficiency, storage and grid and other clean energy subsectors continued to grow faster than the broader economy. Clean energy constitutes an increasingly large share of the state’s energy workforce; 61 percent of all new energy-related jobs in 2024 were clean energy hires.
The clean energy sector in Nebraska now counts 21,135 clean energy workers, led by 14,476 jobs in energy efficiency and 3,418 jobs in renewable energy generation. While clean vehicles lost 49 jobs due to an industry-wide decline across all motor vehicle sectors in 2024, the sub-sector has grown by 47 percent since 2020 and employs 2,363 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 nearly $10 billion in planned clean energy related factories and other projects in the Midwest that were expected to create over 8,000 new jobs.
Despite the federal government slashing clean energy support for companies and investors alike, the sector’s importance to the region’s overall economy is clearer than ever. Clean energy now accounts for 36 percent of all energy and vehicle-related jobs in the state.
"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, Douglas County is the 20th-ranked Midwest county for clean energy jobs with 6,116 clean energy workers. Lancaster and Sarpy counties also rank in the top-80 in the region.
Veterans made up 9.6% of the clean energy workforce in 2024 and Nebraska tied Minnesota for the second-largest percentage of Hispanic or Latino workers in the field, 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 and county levels, visit: https://www.cleanjobsmidwest.com/
For more information, data requests, or to speak with clean energy business leaders in your area, contact Daniel Baker (dbaker@e2.org;202-836-9390).
Methodology
This analysis of U.S. clean energy employment is based on employment data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership for the 2025 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). The USEER analyzes data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) to track employment across many energy production, transmission and distribution subsectors. In addition, the 2025 USEER relies on a unique supplemental survey of 42,800 business representatives across the United States. Created and conducted by BW Research, the methodology has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This survey is used to identify energy-related employment within key subsectors of the broader industries as classified by the BLS and to assign them into their component energy and energy efficiency sectors.
Other Resources
Clean Jobs America 2025 Report and Map
Clean Economy Works | Monthly Tracking: More details plus an interactive map of each of these projects shows what’s trending in America’s booming clean economy.
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E2 is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and managed more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on X/Twitter at @e2org and Bluesky at @e2.org.
Evergreen Climate Innovations provides catalytic capital and support to entrepreneurs and startups that bring impactful climate technologies to market. The nonprofit pioneered its 501vc® Investment Fund to align philanthropic and corporate contributions to deliver environmental, economic, and social impact. Evergreen advances and expands access to innovation across the Greater Midwest and cultivates an ecosystem of investors, donors, and collaborators. For over a decade, Evergreen Climate Innovations has invested in startups that have raised $54 for every $1 invested. Learn more at evergreeninno.org.