Employment in the U.S. electric power generation industry fell from just under 200,000 jobs in January 2000 to about 171,000 in January 2025, a decline of roughly 29,000 positions. The drop occurred in two phases: a 28,000‑job loss between 2000 and 2010, followed by a smaller 13,000‑job decline to 2025. Fossil‑fuel power generation employment fell 35,000 jobs (30 %) over the 20‑year period, while non‑fossil‑fuel employment fell 19,000 jobs (24 %). After 2020 the trends diverged sharply. Fossil‑fuel jobs remained steady at about 75,000, whereas non‑fossil‑fuel jobs grew 36 %, rising from 63,000 to 86,000 by December 2025. The growth in non‑fossil‑fuel employment was driven by increased solar and wind capacity, with solar jobs quadrupling and wind jobs expanding 128 % from 2020 to 2025. Nuclear plant closures also reduced employment, while renewable sectors continued to expand. These shifts illustrate the transition from coal and nuclear to cleaner energy sources in the U.S. power sector.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Materials reproduced from www.bls.gov.
No endorsement by BLS is implied.
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