State by State, US Ethanol Industry Creating Jobs & Economic Opportunities

February 21, 2013



(February 21, 2013) Washington, D.C. – Today, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a state-by-state update to the “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States,” an economic impact analysis performed by Cardno ENTRIX. The original report, released earlier this month at RFA’s National Ethanol Conference, found that the industry has supported over 383,000 direct and indirect and induced jobs across all sectors of the economy last year. The industry contributed $43.3 billion to GDP and $30.2 billion in household income.

Commenting on the state-by-state breakout, Bob Dinneen, RFA’s president and CEO, said, “It is clear that the ethanol industry is a powerful economic driver. We are successfully creating job and economic opportunities in a tough economy. Not only are we helping revitalize rural communities across this country, we are positively impacting states outside of the Corn Belt. We are building ethanol refineries and hiring staff for newly operational plants across this nation. We are becoming an economic engine coast to coast, border to border. This economic momentum should not be jeopardized by tampering with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS is a proven success when it comes to creating jobs, increasing American energy independence, and improving the environment. Don’t mess with the RFS.”

The top ten states experiencing the economic benefits of having ethanol plants operating locally are:

State              Jobs (Direct, indirect, induced)

Iowa                               63,532
Illinois                            54,083
Nebraska                        48,402
Minnesota                      34,784
Indiana                           25,350
South Dakota                  22,970
Wisconsin                      15,591
Ohio                               15,167
Kansas                           13,043
North Dakota                   7,810

Sample states falling outside the traditional Corn Belt include:

State              Jobs (Direct, indirect, induced)

Texas                              5,696
Colorado                          4,829
Tennessee                       4,039
Pennsylvania                   3,263
New York                         3,210
California                          2,147

For a full list of states please see the Cardno ENTRIX update, here.

For an infographic demonstrating the types of jobs and industry sectors positively impacted by the ethanol industry, please visit www.EthanolRFA.org.