Hydropower · Arizona

Arizona Hydropower jobs: 443 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Arizona employs 443 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.8% of the U.S. total. That makes Arizona the 21st-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.

Hydropower Jobs in Arizona (2024)

443 Rank #21 of 51

National share: 0.76% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.

Typical Median Wage

$75,175
Sector-wide BLS OES median across 2 tracked occupations.

1. Employment Landscape

Arizona ranks 21st out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 443 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 122 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,190 hydropower workers.

1.1 Arizona’s position vs. the top 10 and median states

1st · California
10,633
21. Arizona
443
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The hydropower sector nationwide employs roughly 58,089 workers; Arizona accounts for 443 of them.

1.3 Where Arizona sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 46,313 #18
Solar 10,253 #6
Nuclear 2,586 #9
Storage & Grid 1,706 #17
Wind 1,489 #26
Electric Vehicles 1,288 #24
Hydropower 443 #21
Clean Fuels 318 #18

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Arizona

Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Arizona in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.

Traditional hydropower
443
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
251

2. Pay & Career Roles in Arizona

Arizona contributes 0.76% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Arizona’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.7% of total clean-energy jobs (443 of 64,396 workers).

Cost-of-living in Arizona is roughly 2.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Arizona is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianArizona-adjustedJob Zone
Hydrologic / Civil Engineer $95,890 $97,808 4
Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) $54,460 $55,549 3

See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Arizona employers rate 21.9% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 35.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 57.1% of Arizona’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
37.5%
Somewhat difficult hiring
35.2%
Very difficult hiring
21.9%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.4%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Construction 46,142
Other Services 24,295
Professional Services 22,286
Utilities 19,593
Manufacturing 12,141
Trade 9,841
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 4,012
Mining and Extraction 573
Agriculture and Forestry 124

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hydropower jobs are there in Arizona?
As of 2024, Arizona has approximately 443 hydropower jobs — ranked 21st nationally.
What do these jobs pay?
Median wages across the tracked hydropower occupations range from $54,460 to $95,890 according to BLS OES.
Is Arizona a good place to take one of these jobs?
Arizona is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 2.0% above the U.S. average, which raises or lowers real take-home on a BLS national median by a similar amount.

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.