Hydropower · California
California Hydropower jobs: 10,633 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in California (2024)
10,633
Rank #1 of 51
18.31% of U.S.
California-adjusted median
$85,700
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 1.14.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in California
Traditional hydropower
10,633
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
1,427
Where California’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 312,090 | #1 |
| Solar | 116,380 | #1 |
| Electric Vehicles | 48,965 | #1 |
| Storage & Grid | 19,309 | #1 |
| Hydropower | 10,633 | #1 |
| Wind | 8,384 | #3 |
| Clean Fuels | 4,373 | #1 |
| Nuclear | 4,106 | #4 |
California vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1. California
10,633
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
Hydropower roles and pay in California
| Role | SOC | National median | California-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $109,315 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $62,084 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in California
Did not hire
44.0%
Somewhat difficult hiring
31.7%
Very difficult hiring
19.0%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.3%
NAICS industry mix for California clean-energy jobs
Construction
261,790
Professional Services
179,480
Other Services
140,473
Manufacturing
135,925
Trade
114,418
Utilities
78,614
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
18,372
Mining and Extraction
11,089
Agriculture and Forestry
1,334
California’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
116,380
Natural gas electricity
20,091
Traditional hydropower
10,633
Wind
8,384
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
7,465
Other electricity
4,482
Nuclear electricity
4,106
Coal electricity
1,831
Geothermal electricity
1,737
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
1,427
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
980
Full USEER workbook line items for California
Fuels
| Fuels total | 71,284 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 49,062 |
| Natural gas fuels | 8,437 |
| Other biofuels | 4,373 |
| Other fuels | 3,556 |
| Woody biomass | 2,390 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,600 |
| Corn ethanol | 844 |
| Nuclear fuels | 806 |
| Coal fuels | 217 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 177,515 |
| Solar | 116,380 |
| Natural gas electricity | 20,091 |
| Traditional hydropower | 10,633 |
| Wind | 8,384 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 7,465 |
| Other electricity | 4,482 |
| Nuclear electricity | 4,106 |
| Coal electricity | 1,831 |
| Geothermal electricity | 1,737 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 1,427 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 980 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 151,704 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 98,184 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 26,628 |
| Storage | 19,309 |
| Smart grid | 2,912 |
| Other grid modernization | 2,450 |
| Micro grid | 2,221 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 312,090 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 114,555 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 69,722 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 63,811 |
| Other | 38,952 |
| Advanced materials | 25,050 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 228,902 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 151,355 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 48,965 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 15,344 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 6,397 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 3,130 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 1,935 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 1,543 |
| Other vehicles | 234 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 261,790 |
| Professional Services | 179,480 |
| Other Services | 140,473 |
| Manufacturing | 135,925 |
| Trade | 114,418 |
| Utilities | 78,614 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 18,372 |
| Mining and Extraction | 11,089 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,334 |
Skill profile for hydropower roles
Top skills
Active Listening3.69
Critical Thinking3.57
Speaking3.57
Reading Comprehension3.50
Complex Problem Solving3.44
Mathematics3.44
Monitoring3.44
Time Management3.38
Knowledge
Mathematics4.05
Engineering and Technology4.05
English Language3.53
Building and Construction3.50
Design3.49
Administration and Management3.48
Public Safety and Security3.36
Physics3.30
Core abilities
Oral Comprehension3.88
Oral Expression3.88
Written Comprehension3.81
Deductive Reasoning3.75
Problem Sensitivity3.69
Near Vision3.69
Inductive Reasoning3.63
Written Expression3.56
Representative tasks for hydropower workers
- Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures. (Core)
- Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools. (Core)
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site. (Core)
- Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards. (Core)
- Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities. (Core)
- Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools. (Core)
- Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms. (Core)
- Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility. (Core)
- Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes. (Supplemental)
- Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects. (Supplemental)
- Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids. (Core)
- Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites. (Supplemental)
Software and tools used in hydropower roles
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Apache Subversion SVN 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Autodesk Revit 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Shell script 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
Bentley MicroStation 🔥
C 🔥
Extensible markup language XML 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 🔥
Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥
Microsoft Dynamics 🔥
Procore software 🔥
Education & training paths into hydropower
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification3.9%
Apprenticeship2.5%
OJ
On-the-Job Training13.3%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training14.3%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education25.0%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience14.3%
Related in California
Energy Efficiency
312,090 jobs
Solar
116,380 jobs
Electric Vehicles
48,965 jobs
Storage & Grid
19,309 jobs