Jobs in the renewable-energy industry in Rhode Island grew at a slightly higher rate than overall jobs between 1998 and 2007, according to a recent national study by a Washington nonprofit group.

The study conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that jobs in the clean-energy sector in the Ocean State increased by 0.7 percent over the decade compared with 0.6 percent for all jobs.

Although Rhode Island experienced faster growth in jobs in the industry, it was far behind the national rate. Across the country, so-called green-collar jobs grew at a rate of 9.1 percent to 770,000. Total jobs, meanwhile, grew by 3.7 percent.

The study — The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America — was released as the country tries to resuscitate the economy and pull itself out of recession. Green energy has been trumpeted as a cornerstone of a turnaround, and the Obama administration is channeling billions of dollars in stimulus money into the sector, which includes such fields as energy efficiency, solar and wind power and wastewater management.

The Pew study was based on a hard count of actual jobs in the industry and did not include projections or estimates. It found that growth of clean-energy jobs outpaced that of overall jobs in 38 states and the District of Columbia. California led the country with about 124,000 green-collar jobs in 2007, followed by 56,000 in Texas.

In Rhode Island, there were 2,328 green-energy jobs in 2007. The state has been particularly successful in attracting venture-capital funding, according to Lori Grange, deputy director of the Pew Center on the States. She said in a statement that Rhode Island was able to tie up more than $22 million in private investment in the clean-technology sector.

Much of the hope for additional renewable-energy jobs in Rhode Island rests on a proposal to install more than 100 wind turbines off the state’s coast. Deepwater Wind, a New Jersey company with an office in Providence, plans to create an assembly facility in North Kingstown that would eventually be staffed by 800 employees. Advocates of the project say it could attract other green-tech companies to Rhode Island and create even more jobs.

akuffner@projo.com