Alabama Hydropower jobs: 471 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Alabama employs 471 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.8% of the U.S. total. That makes Alabama the 18th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Alabama (2024)
National share: 0.81% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Alabama ranks 18th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 471 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 150 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,162 hydropower workers.
1.1 Alabama’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The hydropower sector nationwide employs roughly 58,089 workers; Alabama accounts for 471 of them.
1.3 Where Alabama sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 31,549 | #26 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,827 | #13 |
| Nuclear | 2,131 | #12 |
| Wind | 1,545 | #25 |
| Solar | 1,237 | #41 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,051 | #26 |
| Hydropower | 471 | #18 |
| Clean Fuels | 211 | #28 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Alabama
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Alabama in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Alabama
Alabama contributes 0.81% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Alabama’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 1.1% of total clean-energy jobs (471 of 41,023 workers).
Cost-of-living in Alabama is roughly 12.1% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Alabama is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Alabama-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $84,287 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $47,870 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Alabama employers rate 21.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 27.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 48.5% of Alabama’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.
4.1 Employer hiring difficulty
4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group
| Industry (NAICS group) | Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 69,498 |
| Construction | 30,014 |
| Utilities | 17,198 |
| Other Services | 14,927 |
| Professional Services | 12,138 |
| Trade | 9,946 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 5,910 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,386 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,002 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Data source: U.S. Department of Energy — 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (reflecting 2024 employment); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics; O*NET Occupation Database 29.1.
Last updated: April 2026.