That Bright Spot in the Economy? Solar Jobs.

Let the sun shine on the economy. According the National Solar Jobs Census 2011, released on Monday by the research organization the Solar Foundation, the solar industry grew 6.8 percent nationally in the year ending in August. That’s compared to an overall U.S. job growth of under 1 percent during the same period.

GreenBiz sums up the sunny numbers. One in every four solar jobs is in California: 25,575 of the 100,237 solar-related jobs nationwide. Colorado comes in second, with 6,186 solar jobs, followed by Arizona, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Based on its survey of solar employers, the industry group expects solar job growth to accelerate by 24 percent over the next year.

-- Reed McManus

Image: U.S. Department of Energy