1. Skip to navigation
  2. Skip to content
  3. Skip to sidebar

Biofuels Industry

Minnesota is one of the top producers of ethanol and biodiesel.  How does this impact the number of job openings in the biofuels industry?

Industry overview

Minnesota has begun to develop more technologies supporting biofuels, or fuels derived from recently living natural products (as opposed to fossil fuels, which come from long-dead biological matter). While biofuels make up a much smaller portion of the overall energy production, Minnesota is one of the top producers of ethanol, a biofuel typically made from corn, and biodiesel, and biofuel made from oil-based products.

  • The state has 21 ethanol production facilities, with a total capacity to produce 1,007 million gallons of ethanol per year. These plants employ between 700 and 1,200 people with an average annual wage of $55,400.
  • Minnesota is home to five facilities that produce biodiesel. Data was gathered on three of these firms which employ approximately 250 people, with an average annual wage of $49,200.

Job Vacancy Survey results: Biofuels

A recent survey by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development highlights the growing size of the biofuel industry within our state. The survey examines job vacancies to better understand the demand for employment within new fields. The results tell us how this industry, and the jobs within it, is changing in light of growth and innovation in renewable energy.

What types of jobs are available in the biofuels industry?

Between mid-2007 and mid-2009, there was an average of 18 open positions in the biofuels industries (both ethanol and biodiesel production):

  • About 50 percent of the openings were for production positions. The job titles most commonly found in this category include: plant operator, boiler operator, and production worker.
  • Twenty-one percent of the openings were for maintenance positions. The job titles most commonly found in this category include: maintenance mechanic or technician, or plant maintenance worker.
  • The remaining 30 percent of openings were for positions in management, transportation, engineering, and other fields within the biofuels industry. An example of job titles found within these categories includes: quality manager, plant engineer, load out operator, and retail salesperson.

What education and experience do new jobs in the biofuels industry require?

From 2007 to 2009, 58 percent of the open positions in the biofuels industry required at least a high school education, while 52 percent required no or some general work experience.

  • 23 percent of jobs required at least some post-secondary education, with 10 percent of the vacancies requiring a bachelor's degree
  • 36 percent of the open jobs required the applicant to have specific work experience relating to the open position

View Job Vacancies in Minnesota's Renewable Energy Industries (245KB, .pdf) for complete results.