Green New Deal – Top States and Counties for a Career in Wind
In a previous blog, I provided a general overview of two of the fastest growing occupations in America, both of which are green occupations.
In this blog, I’ll break down the regional hotspots (in America) for the #2 fastest growing occupation, Wind Turbine Service Technicians (Wind Turbine Technicians). I’ll also show you where in the regional hotspots you can get training for this occupation.
Top 3 Industries for Wind Turbine Technicians
The following table shows the top 3 industries that employ the most Wind Turbine Service Technicians.
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 2,320 | 0.60 | $29.20 | $60,740 |
| Utility System Construction | 790 | 0.15 | $24.73 | $51,440 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance | 730 | 0.36 | $24.34 | $50,630 |
Hotspots for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
Top States for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
The following image shows the states with the most Wind Turbine Service Technicians and the highest concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians.
National Hotspots for Wind – States
The following table provides some detailed statistics on these states. For the most part, the mean wage for Wind Turbine Service Technicians is considerably higher than the median wage for the state. If you are looking for a career as a Wind Turbine Service Technician, your standard of living should be relatively high.
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Concentration (1 = average occupation concentration in state | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage | Median state wage |
| Texas | 1,020 | 0.09 | 2.78 | $28.17 | $58,590 | $17.39 |
| Iowa | 340 | 0.22 | 7.20 | $29.96 | $62,320 | $17.27 |
| Illinois | 290 | 0.05 | 1.58 | NA | NA | NA |
| North Dakota | 210 | 0.50 | 16.36 | $29.02 | $60,360 | $19.25 |
| Minnesota | 200 | 0.07 | 2.24 | $27.87 | $57,980 | $19.84 |
| Wyoming | 90 | 0.33 | 10.82 | $23.70 | $49,290 | $18.81 |
| South Dakota | 100 | 0.23 | 7.59 | $29.42 | $61,190 | $15.55 |
| West Virginia | 40 | 0.06 | 1.89 | $31.18 | $64,860 | $15.16 |
| Colorado | 100 | 0.04 | 1.29 | $29.54 | $61,450 | $19.66 |
Top 9 Areas for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
The following details the counties with the most and the highest concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians. Note that the mean wage for Wind Turbine Service Technicians in some of these areas is considerably higher than the median wage. If you are looking for a career as a Wind Turbine Service Technician, your standard of living should be relatively high in these areas. These areas are:
- Bakersfield, CA (metropolitan)
- Duluth, MN-WI (metropolitan)
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (metropolitan)
- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA (metropolitan)
- Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN (metropolitan)
- West Texas Region of Texas (nonmetropolitan)
- Northeast Iowa (nonmetropolitan)
- Northwest Iowa (nonmetropolitan)
- Eastern and Southern Colorado (nonmetropolitan)
National Hotspots for Wind – Counties
California
Hotspots for Wind – CA
Bakersfield, CA
The Bakersfield area includes Kern County. This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 13 times the national average. The Bakersfield area employs about 120 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $24.64 ($51,250 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $22.92.
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
The Vallejo-Fairfield area includes Solano County. This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 11 times the national average. The Vallejo-Fairfield area employs about 40 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $27.42 ($57.400 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $22.92.
Minnesota Wisconsin
Hotspots for Wind – MN and WI
Duluth, MN-WI
The Duluth area includes the following counties:
- Carlton County, MN
- Douglas County, WI
- Louis County, MN
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 22 times the national average. The Duluth area employs about 90 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $33.22 ($69,100 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $17.66.
Texas
Hotspots for Wind – TX
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area includes the following counties:
- Austin County
- Brazoria County
- Chambers County
- Fort Bend County
- Galveston County
- Harris County
- Liberty County
- Montgomery County
- Waller County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 90% of the national average. The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area employs about 80 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $24.23 ($50,390 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $17.61.
West Texas Region of Texas
The West Texas Region of Texas area includes the following counties:
- Andrews County
- Bailey County
- Baylor County
- Borden County
- Brewster County
- Briscoe County
- Castro County
- Childress County
- Cochran County
- Collingsworth County
- Cottle County
- Crane County
- Crockett County
- Culberson County
- Dallam County
- Dawson County
- Deaf Smith County
- Dickens County
- Donley County
- Fisher County
- Floyd County
- Foard County
- Gaines County
- Garza County
- Glasscock County
- Gray County
- Hale County
- Hall County
- Hansford County
- Hardeman County
- Hartley County
- Haskell County
- Hemphill County
- Hockley County
- Howard County
- Hutchinson County
- Jeff Davis County
- Kent County
- King County
- Knox County
- Lamb County
- Lipscomb County
- Loving County
- Mitchell County
- Moore County
- Motley County
- Nolan County
- Ochiltree County
- Parmer County
- Pecos County
- Presidio County
- Reagan County
- Reeves County
- Roberts County
- Scurry County
- Shackelford County
- Sherman County
- Stonewall County
- Swisher County
- Terrell County
- Terry County
- Throckmorton County
- Upton County
- Ward County
- Wheeler County
- Wilbarger County
- Winkler County
- Yoakum County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 47 times the national average. The West Texas Region of Texas area employs about 280 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $24.23 ($65,140 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $16.07.
Indiana
Hotspots for Wind – IN
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
The Lafayette-West Lafayette area includes the following counties:
- Benton County
- Carroll County
- Tippecanoe County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 11 times the national average. The Lafayette-West Lafayette area employs about 30 Wind Turbine Service Technicians. Wage data for Wind Turbine Service Technicians in the Lafayette-West Lafayette area is not available.
Iowa
Hotspots for Wind – IA
Northeast Iowa
The Northeast Iowa area includes the following counties:
- Allamakee County
- Buchanan County
- Butler County
- Cerro Gordo County
- Chickasaw County
- Clayton County
- Delaware County
- Fayette County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Hardin County
- Howard County
- Mitchell County
- Winneshiek County
- Worth County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 36 times the national average. The Northeast Iowa area employs about 110 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $30.84 ($64,140 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $15.97.
Northwest Iowa
The Northwest Iowa area includes the following counties:
- Buena Vista County
- Calhoun County
- Cherokee County
- Clay County
- Dickinson County
- Emmet County
- Hamilton County
- Hancock County
- Humboldt County
- Ida County
- Kossuth County
- Lyon County
- O’Brien County
- Osceola County
- Palo Alto County
- Pocahontas County
- Sac County
- Sioux County
- Webster County
- Winnebago County
- Wright County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 24 times the national average. The Northwest Iowa area employs about 100 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $30.51 ($63.460 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $16.22.
Colorado
Hotspots for Wind – CO
Eastern and Southern Colorado
The Eastern and Southern Colorado area includes the following counties:
- Alamosa County
- Baca County
- Bent County
- Cheyenne County
- Conejos County
- Costilla County
- Crowley County
- Custer County
- Huerfano County
- Kiowa County
- Kit Carson County
- Las Animas County
- Lincoln County
- Logan County
- Mineral County
- Morgan County
- Otero County
- Phillips County
- Prowers County
- Rio Grande County
- Saguache County
- Sedgwick County
- Washington County
- Yuma County
This area has a concentration of Wind Turbine Service Technicians at about 25 times the national average. The West Texas Region of Texas area employs about 50 Wind Turbine Service Technicians at an hourly wage of $31.23 ($64,950 annually), compared to the median hourly wage for the area of $15.11.
Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
To become a Wind Turbine Service Technicians, you should pursue a program from an accredited university in Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology. The following lists some of the universities that offer programs in Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology.
Texas Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| Vista College | 6101 Montana Ave | El Paso | TX | 79925-2021 | 915-779-8031 |
| Grayson College | 6101 Grayson Drive | Denison | TX | 75020-8299 | 903-465-6030 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology | 855 E Lavaca | Beaumont | TX | 77705 | 409-880-8321 |
| Texarkana College | 2500 N Robison Rd | Texarkana | TX | 75599 | 903-823-3456 |
Iowa Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| Marshalltown Community College | 3700 S Center St | Marshalltown | IA | 50158 | 641-752-7106 |
| Iowa Central Community College | One Triton Circle | Fort Dodge | IA | 50501 | 515-576-7201-1148 |
| Southwestern Community College | 1501 West Townline Street | Creston | IA | 50801 | 641-782-7081 |
| Northeast Iowa Community College | 1625 Hwy 150 | Calmar | IA | 52132-0400 | 563-562-3263 |
| Southeastern Community College | 1500 West Agency Road | West Burlington | IA | 52655-0180 | 319-752-2731 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District | 306 W River Dr | Davenport | IA | 52801-1221 | 563-336-3300 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | 500 College Dr | Mason City | IA | 50401 | 641-423-1264 |
Minnesota Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| Rainy River Community College | 1501 Hwy 71 | International Falls | MN | 56649 | 218-285-7722 |
| Riverland Community College | 1900 8th Ave NW | Austin | MN | 55912-1473 | 507-433-0600 |
| Saint Paul College | 235 Marshall Ave | Saint Paul | MN | 55102-9808 | 651-846-1600 |
| Hennepin Technical College | 9000 Brooklyn Blvd | Brooklyn Park | MN | 55445 | 952-995-1300 |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College | 1414 College Way | Fergus Falls | MN | 56537-1000 | 218-736-1500 |
| Hibbing Community College | 1515 E 25th St | Hibbing | MN | 55746 | 218-262-7200 |
| Mesabi Range College | 1001 Chestnut Street West | Virginia | MN | 55792 | 218-741-3095 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd | 501 West College Drive | Brainerd | MN | 56401-3900 | 218-855-8000 |
| Minnesota State College Southeast | 1250 Homer Rd | Winona | MN | 55987 | 507-453-2700 |
Wisconsin Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| Western Technical College | 400 Seventh St. North | La Crosse | WI | 54601 | 608-785-9200 |
| Northcentral Technical College | 1000 Campus Dr | Wausau | WI | 54401-1899 | 715-675-3331 |
| Chippewa Valley Technical College | 620 W Clairemont Ave | Eau Claire | WI | 54701-6162 | 715-833-6200 |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College | 700 W State St | Milwaukee | WI | 53233-1443 | 414-297-6370 |
| Mid-State Technical College | 500 32nd St N | Wisconsin Rapids | WI | 54494 | 715-422-5300 |
| Nicolet Area Technical College | 5364 College Drive | Rhinelander | WI | 54501-0518 | 715-365-4410 |
| Gateway Technical College | 3520 30th Ave | Kenosha | WI | 53144-1690 | 262-564-2200 |
| Madison Area Technical College | 1701 Wright Street | Madison | WI | 53704-2599 | 608-246-6100 |
| Moraine Park Technical College | 235 N National Avenue | Fond Du Lac | WI | 54936-1940 | 920-929-2483 |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | 2740 W Mason St | Green Bay | WI | 54307-9042 | 920-498-5400 |
| Waukesha County Technical College | 800 Main Street | Pewaukee | WI | 53072-4601 | 262-691-5566 |
| Fox Valley Technical College | 1825 N Bluemound Dr | Appleton | WI | 54912-2277 | 920-735-5600 |
| Blackhawk Technical College | 6004 South County Road G | Janesville | WI | 53547-5009 | 608-758-6900 |
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | 1800 Bronson Blvd | Fennimore | WI | 53809-9778 | 608-822-3262 |
| Lakeshore Technical College | 1290 North Avenue | Cleveland | WI | 53015-1414 | 920-693-1000-1192 |
| Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College | 505 Pine Ridge Drive | Shell Lake | WI | 54871-8727 | 715-468-2815 |
California Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia | 8344 W Mineral King Ave | Visalia | CA | 93291-9283 | 559-734-9000 |
Indiana Training Providers for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
| School | Address | City | State | Zip | Phone |
| Ivy Tech Community College | 50 W. Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive | Indianapolis | IN | 46208-5752 | 317-921-4800 |
About OJT.com
At OJT.com, our goal is to highlight the most significant occupational opportunities, the regions where these occupations present themselves, and the regional training providers for these occupations. In this way, you can prepare for your future and migrate to the part of the country with the most occupational opportunities.
