Hydropower · Illinois
Illinois Hydropower jobs: 979 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Illinois (2024)
979
Rank #12 of 51
1.69% of U.S.
Illinois-adjusted median
$75,852
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 1.01.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Illinois
Traditional hydropower
979
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
415
Where Illinois’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 89,878 | #5 |
| Wind | 9,216 | #2 |
| Solar | 7,158 | #15 |
| Electric Vehicles | 4,525 | #8 |
| Nuclear | 4,209 | #2 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,789 | #8 |
| Hydropower | 979 | #12 |
| Clean Fuels | 464 | #11 |
Illinois vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
12. Illinois
979
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Illinois
| Role | SOC | National median | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Illinois
Did not hire
50.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
28.0%
Very difficult hiring
17.2%
Not at all difficult hiring
4.7%
NAICS industry mix for Illinois clean-energy jobs
Manufacturing
79,577
Construction
64,186
Professional Services
47,035
Other Services
45,006
Trade
32,565
Utilities
22,832
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
12,286
Mining and Extraction
3,986
Agriculture and Forestry
2,939
Illinois’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Wind
9,216
Solar
7,158
Natural gas electricity
4,433
Nuclear electricity
4,209
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
2,212
Other electricity
1,890
Coal electricity
1,846
Traditional hydropower
979
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
426
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
415
Geothermal electricity
282
Full USEER workbook line items for Illinois
Fuels
| Fuels total | 29,608 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 17,507 |
| Corn ethanol | 3,471 |
| Coal fuels | 2,813 |
| Natural gas fuels | 1,828 |
| Other fuels | 1,385 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,200 |
| Nuclear fuels | 615 |
| Other biofuels | 464 |
| Woody biomass | 325 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 33,065 |
| Wind | 9,216 |
| Solar | 7,158 |
| Natural gas electricity | 4,433 |
| Nuclear electricity | 4,209 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 2,212 |
| Other electricity | 1,890 |
| Coal electricity | 1,846 |
| Traditional hydropower | 979 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 426 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 415 |
| Geothermal electricity | 282 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 50,010 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 30,599 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 13,751 |
| Storage | 2,789 |
| Smart grid | 1,430 |
| Other grid modernization | 728 |
| Micro grid | 713 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 89,878 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 29,902 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 26,833 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 14,895 |
| Advanced materials | 9,158 |
| Other | 9,089 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 107,851 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 81,513 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 7,147 |
| Other vehicles | 5,575 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 4,525 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 4,308 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 3,250 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 813 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 720 |
By NAICS Industry
| Manufacturing | 79,577 |
| Construction | 64,186 |
| Professional Services | 47,035 |
| Other Services | 45,006 |
| Trade | 32,565 |
| Utilities | 22,832 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 12,286 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,939 |
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 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥
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 🔥
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%