State Report: Mass. Clean Energy Jobs Up 12 Percent

The green economy in Massachusetts is quickly growing, a state report says.

Clean energy companies now employ nearly 80,000 people in the state and clean energy jobs grew by 11.8 percent from June 2012 through June of this year, according to the report from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The study predicts similar gains next year.

The center credits the educational system and the environmentally friendly policies in the state for the rapid development.

Despite the recent boom, the clean energy sector is still only a small fraction of the overall employment in Massachusetts, making up just 1.9 percent of the workforce.

In a separate scorecard released Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Boston is rated the No. 1 most energy-efficient city in the country.