22/Utilities
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
667K
employees, 2023
667K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 20,379 US Utilities business locations employed 667,277 people and paid $84.9 billion in annual payroll, $127,240 per employee on average. Employment was up 3.4% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
20,379
-0.2% vs 2022
Employees
667,277
+3.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$84.9B
+7.9% vs 2022
Average pay
$127,240
+4.3% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Utilities in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,479 | 68,620* | $164,524 | 0.42% |
| Texas | 2,206 | 61,731 | $124,338 | 0.51% |
| New York | 834 | 40,711 | $138,286 | 0.46% |
| Florida | 1,136 | 30,699 | $124,460 | 0.31% |
| Pennsylvania | 894 | 29,041 | $121,344 | 0.51% |
| Illinois | 670 | 27,143 | $133,747 | 0.48% |
| Georgia | 519 | 25,360 | $110,798 | 0.58% |
| Ohio | 688 | 24,481* | $118,759 | 0.48% |
| Michigan | 440 | 24,033 | $132,275 | 0.59% |
| North Carolina | 606 | 21,116* | $114,933 | 0.49% |
| New Jersey | 458 | 19,671* | $137,214 | 0.50% |
| Missouri | 426 | 16,566 | $118,012 | 0.63% |
| Indiana | 529 | 15,800 | $114,368 | 0.54% |
| Virginia | 377 | 14,878 | $126,741 | 0.42% |
| Minnesota | 371 | 14,790* | $118,870 | 0.53% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Utilities employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 672 | 38,331 | $140,799 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 523 | 22,923 | $141,235 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 334 | 18,774 | $141,652 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 382 | 18,353* | $151,991 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 199 | 15,310 | $116,348 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 311 | 13,762* | $133,707 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 127 | 13,488 | $197,596 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 277 | 10,636* | $161,018 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 163 | 10,425* | $119,801 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 269 | 10,366 | $138,064 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 108 | 10,172* | $139,592 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 207 | 10,071* | $152,137 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 153 | 9,760* | $124,508 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 135 | 8,460 | $124,550 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 191 | 7,463 | $120,715 |
Business size
US Utilities business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 8,693 | 42.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 3,196 | 15.7% |
| 10 to 19 | 2,809 | 13.8% |
| 20 to 49 | 2,850 | 14.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,496 | 7.3% |
| 100 to 249 | 871 | 4.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 261 | 1.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 155 | 0.8% |
| 1,000 or more | 48 | 0.2% |
Related industries
Utilities and the 1 industry directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 221 | Utilities | 667,277 | $127,240 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Utilities in the US?
667,277 people worked at 20,379 US Utilities business locations in 2023, up 3.4% from 2022. That is 0.48% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Utilities?
$127,240 a year per employee in 2023, from $84.9 billion in annual payroll (up 4.3% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Utilities jobs?
California had the most, with 68,620 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (61,731) and New York (40,711).
Which metro areas have the most Utilities jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (38,331), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (22,923), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (18,774) had the most Utilities employees in 2023.
Are most Utilities businesses small?
72.1% of the 20,379 Utilities business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 203 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.