Clean energy jobs are growing to make up a significant share of the Massachusetts workforce.
Some 98,985 workers are employed by a total of 6,439 clean energy companies in the Bay State, according to a report by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
The total number of clean energy jobs in the state increased by 64 percent since 2010, the first year the center started collecting data. Over the year, employment in the sector grew 12 percent, its largest annual growth in five years.
Some 3.3 percent of the total workforce in the state are clean energy jobs, with more than 75 percent of them earning more than $50,000 a year. Jobs in the sector contribute 2.5 percent to the gross state product.
“With steady job growth over the past five years, the Massachusetts clean energy industry is robust,” said Stephen Pike, MassCEC interim CEO. “The clean energy sector is fueling small businesses and paying workers high wages across the state from Beverly to Pittsfield.”
The area with the largest growth in clean energy employment was northeastern Massachusetts, followed by central Massachusetts.