The Green Economy Skills Gap: Why Environmental Studies Matter for America’s Future Workforce

For universities teaching environmental science, sustainability, business, engineering or climate-related subjects, the classroom can only go so far.

Students can learn about carbon accounting, renewable energy and sustainable business models, but something shifts when they see these challenges playing out in the real world.

They start to see that sustainability isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s an economic one too.

Across the US, demand is growing for people who can build renewable energy systems, modernise electricity grids, decarbonise buildings, manage natural resources and help businesses reduce their environmental impact.

But is the workforce ready?

Our research into the US green economy skills gap shows a growing divide between states building strong education and employment pathways and those where demand for green skills is moving faster than the supply of skilled workers.

For Kagumu Adventures, the question is no longer whether the green economy needs new skills. It’s whether education can keep up.

The green economy is becoming a workforce issue

It’s easy to think of green jobs as just solar installers, environmental scientists or conservation specialists, but for us the issue is much broader. 

Almost every industry will need people who understand sustainability and can apply it in practice. As the research puts it, the gap isn’t just about “green” knowledge – it’s about combining sustainability with skills in data, finance, technology and operations.

Most of all, hiring a workforce that’s passionate about sustainability is key, and that’s where education matters. Giving students the chance to work in real environments, engage with communities and experience sustainability challenges first-hand can help turn knowledge into practical skills – and prepare them to shape the green economy.

Where the US is best prepared

Some states are already ahead of the curve. Our research ranks California, Massachusetts and Colorado as the three best-prepared states, followed by Washington, New York, Oregon, Michigan, Vermont, Virginia and Illinois.

What sets these states apart is a combination of strong higher education, established sustainability programmes, growing clean-energy industries and better links between education and employment.

More importantly, they show what’s possible when students have clear pathways from learning to real-world experience – -giving them the skills and confidence to step into a changing economy.

 

America’s 10 best-prepared green economy states

Rank	State	Primary driving industries	Leading university talent pipelines	Preparedness score
1	California	Solar PV, EVs, grid modernisation	UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Davis	96.4
2	Massachusetts	Offshore wind, clean-tech R&D, building decarbonisation	MIT, Harvard, UMass Amherst	91.2
3	Colorado	Onshore wind, land conservation, smart-grid technology	CU Boulder, Colorado State	88.7
4	Washington	Hydroelectric systems, sustainable forestry, clean tech	University of Washington, Washington State	86.3
5	New York	Building retrofitting, offshore wind, ESG finance	Columbia, Cornell, SUNY ESF	84.9
6	Oregon	Forestry management, renewable generation	Oregon State, University of Oregon	82.5
7	Michigan	EV battery manufacturing, clean automotive technology	University of Michigan, Michigan State	81.0
8	Vermont	Energy efficiency, micro-hydro, sustainable agriculture	University of Vermont, Middlebury	79.6
9	Virginia	Commercial solar, grid resilience, clean policy	Virginia Tech, University of Virginia	78.1
10	Illinois	Wind energy, clean transit, smart grids	Northwestern, UIUC	77.4

 

When looking at the data, we can see that the strongest states are not just those with renewable resources, but are states where education, industry and policy are beginning to reinforce one another.

Our research identifies specialised higher-education programmes combining technical science with business, policy and data analytics as one of the major advantages these states have developed.

We also estimate that more than 68% of sustainability graduates in these leading states remain in the state after graduation, and we can see that in states performing well, education has become part of their economic development infrastructure. 

But the skills gap is not confined to states that are “falling behind”

One of the most important findings is that even some of the country’s strongest green economies are experiencing significant workforce shortages.

A good example of this is California. The state ranks first for overall preparedness, yet the state has an estimated 34,987-worker gap between official green jobs and the skilled green workforce.

This is followed by Florida having a gap of 26,500 workers and Texas with a gap of 26,468. 

In many places, demand is simply growing faster than the talent pipeline.

Selected U.S. state skills gaps

State	Official green jobs	Green-skilled workforce	Skills gap	Gap status
California	552,987	518,000	+34,987	High
Texas	281,468	255,000	+26,468	High
Florida	168,500	142,000	+26,500	High
New York	165,400	148,000	+17,400	High
Ohio	112,800	96,200	+16,600	High
North Carolina	112,400	96,500	+15,900	High
Michigan	123,400	108,000	+15,400	High
Pennsylvania	108,400	94,200	+14,200	High
Illinois	124,500	112,000	+12,500	High
Massachusetts	126,862	123,500	+3,362	Low

 

So why does the gap exist?

When analysing the findings, three key factors stand out: education, economic transition and geography.

The education pipeline simply hasn’t kept pace with demand. In 2020, US universities awarded around 7,000 Environmental Science degrees compared with 391,000 Business degrees. As sustainability becomes part of almost every industry, environmental knowledge can no longer sit with a small group of specialists.

States are also transitioning at very different speeds. California is investing heavily in solar, EVs and grid modernisation, while Michigan is building around batteries and clean automotive technology. Other states remain more closely tied to traditional energy industries, making the shift more complex.

Geography adds another layer. In states such as Alaska, Wyoming and North Dakota, smaller populations and limited access to specialist training can make it harder to build a strong local talent pool.

Here we can see that there are fewer opportunities to develop green skills, there are fewer skilled workers to meet growing demand.

We also identified the lowest-ranked states and highlighted how different the problem can look from one region to another.

Rank	State	Vulnerable sector	Primary structural deficit	Preparedness score
41	Louisiana	Industrial energy efficiency	Fossil-fuel inertia; low graduate retention	42.1
42	Alabama	Smart-grid integration	Sparse climate-tech and renewable university tracks	40.8
43	Kentucky	Renewable power generation	Slow transition of legacy energy workforce	39.5
44	Oklahoma	Clean transit & EV systems	Shortage of specialised technical trades	37.2
45	Arkansas	Sustainable forestry & AgTech	Low environmental degree completions	35.6
46	Mississippi	Energy-efficiency retrofitting	Low per-capita clean-job availability	33.9
47	West Virginia	Renewable-grid integration	Shortage of environmental engineers and technicians	31.4
48	North Dakota	Biofuels & carbon capture	Low annual sustainability graduate output	29.8
49	Wyoming	Wind infrastructure & solar	Small talent pipeline relative to resource potential	27.3
50	Alaska	Energy storage & adaptation	Geographic isolation and limited training hubs	24.5

 

If investment in the green economy is concentrated in places that already have the universities, training centres and skilled workers to support it, the economic benefits can become concentrated there too. This risks creating a second divide alongside the skills gap: a geographic opportunity gap.

Why environmental studies matter to the economy

Environmental studies are no longer just a pathway into conservation or environmental policy. Sustainability is becoming a valuable skill across business, engineering, finance, agriculture, technology and beyond.

As Simon Willis, Director of Kagumu Adventures, puts it: “There is nothing better than real-world experience. Students need opportunities to work with business leaders, challenge themselves and develop practical problem-solving skills.”

That combination of knowledge and experience is exactly what employers are looking for: people who can bring fresh thinking, adaptability and a practical approach to solving real-world challenges.

Turning the skills gap into opportunity

The green economy is creating exciting opportunities across the US, from renewable energy and EVs to sustainable buildings, technology and environmental management.

The opportunity for education is to help students step confidently into this changing world. That means going beyond the classroom and giving them the chance to work with real organisations, communities and challenges.

Study abroad and experiential learning can play a big part in this. By seeing sustainability in action, students can connect what they learn with the wider economy and start turning knowledge into action.

 

The Kagumu Jaguar Changemaker Grant

At Kagumu Adventures, we believe in helping make those opportunities more accessible. The Kagumu Jaguar Changemaker Grant offers a $500 scholarship to students demonstrates how their studies and study abroad experience will help them create positive environmental or social impact.

The grant is open to eligible students studying sustainability, conservation or related fields, with applications closing December 15, 2026.

 

Data Sources

• Kagumu Adventures  “Costa Rica Study Abroad: Teaching Climate Change Through Fieldwork” Kagumu Adventures
• U.S. Department of Energy – U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER)  workforce and energy-employment data.
• Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) – Clean Jobs America – state-level clean-energy employment data. E2 Clean Jobs America
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) – IPEDS – higher-education and environmental/sustainability degree data. NCES IPEDS
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) – occupational and employment data. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• O*NET — Green Economy Taxonomy – green occupations and skills classification. O*NET Green Economy Taxonomy
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – renewable-energy and regional workforce context.
• OECD – Future-proofing Workforces for the Green Transition – workforce-development and labour-market context. OECD report
• PV Magazine – U.S. clean-energy employment growth – recent green-job growth context.
• Columbia University School of Professional Studies – Green Jobs – green-skills supply and demand context.
• Lightcast – Green Jobs Now – green-skills hiring and wage-premium context.
• Center of Sustainability and Excellence – sustainability workforce and hybrid-skills context.
• Research interviews/survey comments supplied in the Eco Workforce Gap & Green Economy Research Brief, including perspectives from Julio Andrés Rozo, Sistema.bio, Julian Gamboa and Simon Willis.