Ethanol Drives the Rural Economy

Ethanol Renewing the Heartland

Open Plain with Crops 

Ethanol biorefineries offer skilled jobs and good wages in rural communities where attractive employment opportunities are often hard to find.  The industry serves as an essential component of the agriculture sector, generating tens of billions of dollars in economic activity.

 

 

In 2022, more than 78,800 U.S. jobs were directly associated with the ethanol industry, with an additional 342,800 indirect and induced jobs supported across all sectors of the economy. The industry created $34.8 billion in household income and contributed just over $57 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product—the second-highest GDP contribution ever.  

 

The renewable fuels workforce employs a higher percentage of female, older and unionized workers than the petroleum industry.