How Many Fossil Fuel Workers Are There In The Us?
Fossil fuels are energy resources formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals. The three main types of fossil fuels are oil, coal, and natural gas, all of which come from the ground and take millions of years to form.
Knowing the number of workers employed in fossil fuel industries in the United States provides valuable information about the size and impact of these sectors. As the country shifts toward renewable energy and debates measures to address climate change, understanding current fossil fuel employment levels can inform policy discussions and workforce transition plans.
Oil and Gas Extraction
The oil and gas extraction industry directly employs around 187,200 workers in the United States as of 2022. This includes jobs related to operating oil and gas field properties such as exploring for crude petroleum and natural gas, drilling wells, and extracting oil and gas.
The top states for oil and gas extraction jobs are Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, and Ohio. Many of the major shale oil and gas basins are found in these states, like the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, the Bakken formation in North Dakota, and the Marcellus formation in Pennsylvania. Regions with high concentrations of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico also employ significant numbers in the oil and gas extraction industry in states like Louisiana and Texas.
Coal Mining
Coal mining is a major industry in certain parts of the United States, especially in Appalachia and the Midwest. Coal mines employ both surface and underground mining techniques to extract coal from the earth. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are around 50,000 coal mining jobs in the United States. The main coal-producing states are Wyoming, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, and Texas. These states account for over 70% of total U.S. coal production.
Coal mining jobs include a range of occupations, from engineers and explosives workers to machine operators and administrative staff. Underground mining relies on workers with specialized skills in operating heavy machinery, installing roof bolts, and navigating underground tunnels. Surface mining involves the operation of draglines, excavators, bulldozers, and other large machines to remove soil and rock above coal seams. Both underground and surface mining require extensive safety training and procedures.
Coal mining employment has been declining over the past decade, as coal struggles to compete with natural gas and renewables in power generation. Regulatory factors, automation, and shifting energy economics have also contributed to lower coal mining jobs. However, coal mining remains an important source of employment in certain U.S. regions.
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
The petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry employs workers in refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel and other fuels as well as processing raw coal into usable products. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020 there were about 89,000 people employed in petroleum refineries in the United States. Additionally, around 14,000 were employed in coal products manufacturing. The total direct employment in petroleum and coal products manufacturing is approximately 103,000.
Employment in this sector has declined in recent decades due to productivity improvements and automation in refineries and processing plants, reducing the need for workers even as production volumes hold steady or increase. However, these plants still require skilled operators, engineers, technicians and other roles to run efficiently and safely. The decline in jobs is expected to continue but there will still be a need for a skilled workforce in petroleum and coal products manufacturing.
Power Plant Employment
Power plants that burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas provide a significant number of jobs in the United States. These plants require staff to operate and maintain the facilities 24/7 to generate electricity.
According to estimates, there are approximately 35,000 people employed at coal power plants in the country. Coal plants are very labor intensive and require workers to handle coal deliveries, manage boilers and generators, handle waste products, and maintain emissions controls. Jobs at coal power plants include plant managers, boiler engineers, electricians, control room operators, mechanics, welders, and administrative staff.
Natural gas power plants employ around 20,000 people across the United States. Jobs at gas plants include turbine technicians, chemical engineers, control room engineers, plant managers, maintenance technicians, and environmental health and safety staff. Gas plants tend to require fewer staff compared to coal plants since the fuel is easier to handle.
There are significantly fewer people employed at oil-fired power plants, since these facilities are far less common. However, jobs at these plants include very similar roles such as boiler engineers, control room operators, maintenance workers, and plant management.
In total, fossil fuel power plants employ an estimated 55,000 workers in the United States to keep the lights on across the country.
Pipeline Employment
The oil and gas pipeline network in the United States consists of over 2.5 million miles of pipeline that transport crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Building and maintaining this extensive pipeline infrastructure requires a significant workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 40,000 pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters who work on oil and gas pipelines across the country. Many more work in supporting roles such as construction equipment operators, welders, inspectors, and surveyors. The pipeline construction industry directly employs around 150,000 workers, while supporting hundreds of thousands of additional jobs. Major pipeline construction projects can temporarily employ thousands of skilled workers. With new pipelines constantly being built and existing ones being repaired and replaced, pipeline employment provides steady, well-paying jobs in the fossil fuel industry. Workers involved in pipeline construction earn a median salary of around $55,000 per year, significantly higher than the national median income.
Transportation
A significant number of jobs in the transportation sector involve transporting fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. This includes truck drivers, railroad workers, ship crew members, and more.
Oil and gas are often transported via pipeline, truck, rail, or ship. Pipelines alone employ thousands to construct, maintain, and operate oil and gas pipeline infrastructure across the country. Tanker trucks and railroad tanker cars also transport large volumes of fossil fuel.
Coal is transported from mines to power plants primarily by rail, barge, and truck. Class I freight railroads have tens of thousands of employees involved in hauling coal. River barges are also used extensively to move coal on major waterways.
Exact employment figures for fossil fuel transportation are difficult to pinpoint. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not break down transportation employment in a way that isolates fossil fuel transport specifically. However, it’s clear that a substantial subset of the over 4 million people employed in transportation in the US plays a direct role in moving coal, oil, and natural gas.
Support Activities
In addition to the direct jobs involved in extracting, transporting, and using fossil fuels, there are many peripheral jobs that provide support services. Companies involved in drilling, mining, pipelines, refining, and power generation require a wide array of equipment, maintenance, construction, environmental services, and more.
Some key support roles include geologists and geophysicists who locate reserves, civil and petroleum engineers who design projects, machinists who manufacture and repair equipment, IT professionals, accountants, lawyers, human resources staff, and administrative personnel. There are also many contracted services like drilling contractors, well testing companies, construction contractors, environmental consultants, and more.
It’s difficult to quantify exactly how many support jobs depend on the fossil fuel industry, but one estimate is that for every direct job in extraction or generation, there are at least two additional jobs created across these types of secondary support activities and services.
Totals and Trends
The total number of jobs supported directly and indirectly by the fossil fuel industry in the United States is estimated to be around 2 to 2.5 million. This includes extraction, manufacturing, power generation, pipelines, transportation and other supporting activities.
Employment in the oil and gas industries experienced strong growth in the 2000s and early 2010s due to the shale boom, increasing 20-30% and peaking around 2014. Since then, lower oil and gas prices have led to industry consolidation and job losses of around 10-15%. Coal mining employment has declined more steadily from around 90,000 in 2011 to 50,000 in 2019, a 40% drop.
Overall fossil fuel employment as a percentage of the total US workforce has declined from around 2% in the early 1980s to around 1.5% today. This reflects both automation in extraction and manufacturing, as well as broader structural changes in the US economy away from manufacturing and towards services.
Conclusions
The fossil fuel industry employs hundreds of thousands of workers across the United States. While the totals are small compared to other major industries, these jobs remain vitally important for many local and regional economies, especially in rural areas.
Understanding the scale and distribution of fossil fuel employment provides insight into the potential impacts of energy transitions. As the world moves away from coal, oil, and gas, a just transition will be needed to support affected workers and communities through training, new opportunities, and economic development.
Looking ahead, fossil fuel jobs will likely continue declining in the long run, although near-term trends remain uncertain. Market forces, regulations, and policy will shape the speed and distribution of impacts. With proactive planning and support, the clean energy transition can benefit society overall while ensuring no groups are left behind.
