US boosts solar jobs count to 142,700 in 2013

Feb 11, 2014 - The solar sector provided employment to 142,700 people in the US at the end of 2013, up 20% year-on-year, according to the Solar Foundation’s (TSF) National Solar Jobs Census 2013.

The report, released Tuesday, says that in 2014 the solar employment total is to expand by another 15.6% or about 22,240 jobs. TSF said that 45% of solar establishments expect to grow their headcounts in the next 12 months.

California remains the number-one state in terms of solar employment. Around 47,200 people there were working for solar companies at the end of 2013, as compared to 43,700 in 2012. Arizona came second with 8,558 solar jobs, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York with 6,500, 6,400 and 5,000 solar workers.

In 2013 new solar jobs in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana together brought about 25% of the total 23,682 jobs created across the solar industry. TSF points out that the number of solar jobs has doubled in developing markets such as North Carolina and Georgia, while better-established solar markets such as Massachusetts and New York saw their solar workforce jump by 50%. The New England region, which is not at all one of the sunniest markets in the US, has 25,000 solar workers or about 20% of the US’ total.

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