Hydropower · Colorado
Colorado Hydropower jobs: 1,006 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Colorado (2024)
1,006
Rank #11 of 51
1.73% of U.S.
Colorado-adjusted median
$79,234
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 1.05.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Colorado
Traditional hydropower
1,006
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
303
Where Colorado’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 40,318 | #23 |
| Solar | 9,312 | #9 |
| Wind | 7,753 | #4 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,166 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,497 | #21 |
| Hydropower | 1,006 | #11 |
| Clean Fuels | 423 | #12 |
| Nuclear | 115 | #35 |
Colorado vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
11. Colorado
1,006
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Colorado
| Role | SOC | National median | Colorado-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $101,068 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $57,401 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Colorado
Did not hire
43.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
32.1%
Very difficult hiring
19.1%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.7%
NAICS industry mix for Colorado clean-energy jobs
Professional Services
57,079
Construction
29,797
Other Services
22,936
Mining and Extraction
18,621
Utilities
11,048
Trade
10,989
Manufacturing
5,942
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
4,141
Agriculture and Forestry
486
Colorado’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
9,312
Wind
7,753
Coal electricity
1,952
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
1,356
Natural gas electricity
1,071
Other electricity
1,060
Traditional hydropower
1,006
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
303
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
250
Geothermal electricity
191
Nuclear electricity
115
Full USEER workbook line items for Colorado
Fuels
| Fuels total | 33,042 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 15,742 |
| Natural gas fuels | 8,920 |
| Woody biomass | 2,553 |
| Coal fuels | 1,680 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,509 |
| Other fuels | 1,475 |
| Corn ethanol | 669 |
| Other biofuels | 423 |
| Nuclear fuels | 71 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 24,371 |
| Solar | 9,312 |
| Wind | 7,753 |
| Coal electricity | 1,952 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 1,356 |
| Natural gas electricity | 1,071 |
| Other electricity | 1,060 |
| Traditional hydropower | 1,006 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 303 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 250 |
| Geothermal electricity | 191 |
| Nuclear electricity | 115 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 31,007 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 21,271 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 6,098 |
| Storage | 2,166 |
| Other grid modernization | 495 |
| Smart grid | 495 |
| Micro grid | 483 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 40,318 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 11,835 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 11,541 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 8,306 |
| Advanced materials | 6,633 |
| Other | 2,002 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 32,301 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 25,111 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 2,293 |
| Other vehicles | 1,639 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 1,497 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 1,042 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 261 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 231 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 227 |
By NAICS Industry
| Professional Services | 57,079 |
| Construction | 29,797 |
| Other Services | 22,936 |
| Mining and Extraction | 18,621 |
| Utilities | 11,048 |
| Trade | 10,989 |
| Manufacturing | 5,942 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 4,141 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 486 |
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 Outlook 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Autodesk Revit 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Shell script 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
Bentley MicroStation 🔥
Extensible markup language XML 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
C 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 🔥
Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥
Microsoft Dynamics 🔥
Procore software 🔥
Adobe Acrobat 🔥
Apache Subversion SVN 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
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%