How reducing methane emissions creates jobs

Tackling methane emissions produces cleaner air and creates high-quality jobs

Updated: July 1, 2022. Go to: Reports | Map | State fact sheets.

Research shows that reducing methane emissions from oil and gas facilities helps clean the air and creates good, high-quality jobs.

Over 200 companies across the country are helping to manufacture the technology and provide the services needed to reduce harmful oil and gas pollution.

A report from Datu Research offers an inside look at the methane mitigation industry — a rapidly expanding job market that helps the oil and gas industry reduce its carbon footprint.

Find Measure Fix: Jobs in the U.S. Methane Emissions Mitigation Industry found the industry offers well-paying employment opportunities across the country that cannot be offshored — saving money, minimizing waste and keeping otherwise lost product in the pipe, while reducing harmful pollution.

Key research findings

  • There are over 225 manufacturing and service companies with nearly 1,000 employee locations across the country.
  • The methane mitigation service sector in the U.S. has nearly doubled in size since 2017, and the manufacturing industry has grown by one third since 2014.
  • The majority (65%) of these are small businesses with potential to grow larger with the expansion of national methane reduction efforts.
  • 75% of manufacturing firms and 88% of service firms report that they would create more jobs if national methane standards were to be reinstated.
  • The starting salary for methane mitigation jobs is nearly 10% higher than the national average salary, and they can pay up to $140,000 a year.

These findings are part of an ongoing series of studies with Datu Research that has followed trends in this steadily growing job market.

Report series