The United States counts 37.0 million reported streetlights, giving outdoor lighting a measurable footprint across public infrastructure. Global outdoor lighting reached $12.4 billion in 2023, and a 14.9% CAGR forecast signals continued expansion through the mid-decade planning cycle. The rest of the data connects that scale to performance and protection standards such as L70 lumen maintenance and IP65 impact and water resistance.
Key Takeaways
- 37.0 million reported streetlights in the United States in 2020
- 1.7 million people are employed directly and indirectly by the U.S. outdoor lighting/lamp/lighting-related industry (as part of the broader electrical equipment employment footprint reported for lighting and related manufacturing)
- $12.4 billion global market size for outdoor lighting in 2023
- IES recommended practice supports photometric performance evaluation using total luminous flux, CCT, and distribution (outdoor)
- L70 lumen maintenance metric indicates the time until 70% of initial lumens remain
- IP65-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against dust ingress and water jets
- NREL estimates that LED conversions plus controls can save billions in public-sector energy costs in the U.S. over time
- Municipal LED retrofits frequently include smart controls such as adaptive dimming and centralized management platforms
- The European Commission adopted regulations phasing out inefficient lighting sources under Ecodesign requirements affecting lighting efficiency
- Use of solar-powered outdoor lighting reduces grid electricity consumption to near zero for the lighting period in off-grid cases
- External power supply efficiency requirements under EU Ecodesign improve energy use in lighting systems
- U.S. wholesale electricity prices determine energy savings monetization for outdoor lighting; data show monthly average retail rates vary by state
With 37 million US streetlights and strong LED growth, outdoor lighting is shifting to smarter, energy saving systems.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size16 stats
01
37.0 million reported streetlights in the United States in 2020
02
1.7 million people are employed directly and indirectly by the U.S. outdoor lighting/lamp/lighting-related industry (as part of the broader electrical equipment employment footprint reported for lighting and related manufacturing)
03
$12.4 billion global market size for outdoor lighting in 2023
04
$6.9 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2018
05
14.9% CAGR forecast for the outdoor lighting market (2019–2026)
06
$3.8 billion U.S. outdoor lighting market value (2019) as reported in a U.S. market study
07
LED outdoor lighting accounted for 60.0% of outdoor lighting market share in 2020
08
Smart outdoor lighting market expected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2019 to $10.3 billion by 2027
09
Smart lighting market projected CAGR of 30.0% from 2020 to 2027
10
$11.6 billion global lighting market size in 2020 (context for lighting demand including outdoor segments)
11
LEDs are estimated to account for more than 50% of global lighting sales (including outdoor applications) by 2020
12
$10.5 billion global street lighting market size in 2022
13
9.2% CAGR forecast for the street lighting market (2023–2028)
14
$1.9 billion global outdoor lighting controls market size in 2022
15
13.5% CAGR forecast for outdoor lighting controls market (2023–2028)
16
28.6 million metric tons of CO2 emissions are associated with lighting globally (context for electricity demand impacting outdoor lighting)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the outdoor lighting market reaching $12.4 billion globally in 2023 and projected to grow at a 14.9% CAGR through 2026, LEDs already held 60.0% of the outdoor lighting share in 2020 while smart outdoor lighting is set to surge from $1.3 billion in 2019 to $10.3 billion by 2027.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics13 stats
01
IES recommended practice supports photometric performance evaluation using total luminous flux, CCT, and distribution (outdoor)
02
L70 lumen maintenance metric indicates the time until 70% of initial lumens remain
03
IP65-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against dust ingress and water jets
04
IP66-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against strong water jets
05
IK08 impact rating withstands 5.0 joules of impact energy (outdoor luminaire durability rating commonly used)
06
IK10 impact rating withstands 20 joules of impact energy (high-impact outdoor luminaire durability)
07
Color rendering index (CRI) of 70 or higher is often required for roadway pedestrian visibility performance targets
08
ANSI/IES RP-8 roadway lighting practice uses maintained luminance/illuminance levels as performance metrics
09
EN 60598-1 requires luminaire safety testing including thermal behavior under specified conditions (relevant to outdoor installations)
10
IEEE 1588 (PTP) enables precise time synchronization for networked control applications; a key basis for coordinated smart lighting control
11
OpenADR supports event-based signals (e.g., demand response) that can be used with smart outdoor lighting energy optimization
12
Outdoor lighting installation durability targets often exceed 25-year service life for many roadway asset classes
13
Most LED luminaires are designed to operate at -40°C to +50°C ambient ranges for outdoor use (typical spec range)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
The outdoor lighting category is strongly trending toward long-life, rugged, and performance-verified LED systems, aiming for over 25 years of service while meeting tough protection and durability needs such as IP65 or IP66 and IK08 or even IK10 impact resistance.
More related reading
03 · Category
Industry Trends17 stats
01
NREL estimates that LED conversions plus controls can save billions in public-sector energy costs in the U.S. over time
02
Municipal LED retrofits frequently include smart controls such as adaptive dimming and centralized management platforms
03
The European Commission adopted regulations phasing out inefficient lighting sources under Ecodesign requirements affecting lighting efficiency
04
Council Directive 2008/50/EC requires air quality monitoring networks; outdoor lighting projects often align with broader smart infrastructure modernization
05
ISO 14001 certification supports environmental management adoption among lighting manufacturers serving outdoor sectors
06
EU Ecodesign policy requires minimum energy performance for external power supplies used in lighting equipment
07
The global smart lighting market growth is supported by adoption of connected lighting networks and reduced energy costs
08
The street lighting market includes an increasing share of fixtures with photocell sensors and remote monitoring capabilities
09
Remote management and IoT integration are key drivers for outdoor lighting controls adoption according to multiple market studies
10
Many outdoor lighting tenders specify IP65+ ingress protection and IK ratings for vandal resistance
11
Photobiological safety requirements constrain blue-light risk (relevant for LED outdoor luminaires)
12
Common glare/comfort standards influence roadway luminance and cutoff optics selection
13
EU RoHS restricts hazardous substances (impacting electronics in outdoor lighting fixtures)
14
EU WEEE sets collection/recycling requirements for waste electrical and electronic equipment including luminaires
15
Energy-efficient outdoor lighting programs can reduce public lighting energy consumption by ~30% to 50% (program guidance)
16
The EU’s Ecodesign for External Power Supplies improves average efficiency of power supplies used in lighting systems
17
Energy savings from street lighting retrofits with LED and controls is commonly modeled as 30%–70% depending on baseline and control strategy
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across public programs, energy-efficient outdoor lighting is consistently projected to cut consumption by about 30% to 50%, and streetlight retrofit models often show 30% to 70% savings when LEDs are paired with controls.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
Use of solar-powered outdoor lighting reduces grid electricity consumption to near zero for the lighting period in off-grid cases
02
External power supply efficiency requirements under EU Ecodesign improve energy use in lighting systems
03
U.S. wholesale electricity prices determine energy savings monetization for outdoor lighting; data show monthly average retail rates vary by state
04
Time-of-use tariffs can reduce peak energy costs; smart dimming for outdoor lighting targets lower-rate hours where applicable
05
Lightning/utility outages can require repairs; IP-rated luminaires reduce moisture ingress and related repair costs (IEC IP rating reduces failure)
06
Battery costs for solar lighting reduce over time; lithium-ion battery cost trends improved substantially between 2010 and 2020
07
Battery pack prices declined to around $137/kWh in 2020 in a widely cited benchmark (affects solar-off-grid lighting costs)
08
Outdoor lighting controls can reduce energy by enabling dimming schedules; some deployments target 10%–20% reductions over basic LED-only retrofits
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
As solar and battery costs have fallen sharply, with lithium-ion packs dropping to about $137 per kWh by 2020 and deployments often targeting 10% to 20% additional savings through dimming and controls, outdoor lighting is steadily shifting from grid dependence to measurable energy cost reductions.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)