What Is an Electric
Co-op?
America’s not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives service 42 million people in 48 states.
They provide safe, reliable, affordable energy to consumer-members. Unlike investor-owned utilities, which seek to generate profits for outside investors, co-ops are owned by the people they serve. This fundamental difference shapes everything they do.
Why Choose an Electric Co-op Career?
The Cooperative Difference
Co-ops around the world operate according to a core set of principles that originated in 1844 from the first modern co-op. These principles, along with the co-op purpose of improving quality of life for their members, make electric co-ops different from other electric utilities. The seven principles are:
- Open and Voluntary Membership
- Democratic Member Control
- Members’ Economic Participation
- Autonomy and Independence
- Education, Training and Information
- Cooperation Among Cooperatives
- Concern for Community
The Vets Power Us Initiative
We strongly believe that hiring and caring for veterans and military spouses strengthens our co-ops and our communities. That’s why we created the Vets Power Us Initiative to:
- Help veterans explore meaningful career opportunities within America’s electric cooperatives.
- Help co-ops recruit, hire and honor veterans.
Class of 2023 Co-op Rising Stars
Want to learn more about the possibilities working at an electric co-op can offer? In RE Magazine, read more about this year's class of co-op rising stars: up-and-coming employees, their diverse career paths and backgrounds, and the contributions they're making to their co-ops, communities and the electric cooperative program as a whole.
Start Your
Co-op Career Today
-Explore job opportunities at electric co-ops across the United States through the Cooperative Career Center.
-Explore executive-level jobs at electric co-ops through NRECA Executive Search.
