We’re #9!

The ninth greenest metro area, at least in terms of “green” jobs, according to a Brookings study.

Houston’s “clean” or “green” economy is ranked 9th among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

“There is room for clean technology in a city with the largest number of fossil fuel jobs in the country and where oil is still king,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “In fact, many of our local energy companies are also at the forefront of research and production on environmentally-friendly alternatives. Going green is creating good paying jobs for Houstonians and growing our economy.”

The Brookings Institute report, “Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment,” provides the following profile of Houston’s clean economy:

  • 9th among the 100 largest metro areas
  • Nearly 40,000 jobs, or 1.6 percent of all jobs in the region
  • Job growth exceeding 5 percent annually between 2003 and 2010
  • Each job produces nearly $17,000 in exports
  • Estimated median wage of $42,779 a year, compared to $38,608 for all jobs in Houston

Houston boasts an impressive list of green accomplishments. For three years in a row, it has appeared on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual “top 10 list” of U.S. cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings. It is also the country’s largest municipal purchaser of renewable energy, with 33 percent of the City of Houston’s energy load provided by wind energy. Just last month, Mayor Parker was chosen as the nation’s top winner for large cities in the 2011 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards sponsored by The U.S. Conference of Mayors. In addition, Houston has been selected as the site for Total Energy USA, an annual trade event that will assemble renewable energy, clean energy and energy-efficiency sectors in one place to provide a comprehensive look at the overarching, integrated energy solutions taking shape today.

The Brookings report can be found here, and the profile of the Houston metro area is here. If you go to that first link and click on the interactive indicator map, you’ll see that the rankings correlate strongly with overall metro area population. That shouldn’t be a surprise – these places are where most of the jobs of all kinds are – but it should be kept in perspective. Thanks to Houston Tomorrow for the catch.

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