Hydropower · Indiana

Indiana Hydropower jobs: 203 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Indiana employs 203 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Indiana the 34th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.

Hydropower Jobs in Indiana (2024)

203 Rank #34 of 51

National share: 0.35% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

Indiana ranks 34th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 203 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 119 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,431 hydropower workers.

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

1st · California
10,633
25th · New Jersey
321
34. Indiana
203
51st · Hawaii
37

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The hydropower sector nationwide employs roughly 58,089 workers; Indiana accounts for 203 of them.

1.3 Where Indiana sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 53,445 #16
Wind 6,825 #5
Electric Vehicles 6,030 #5
Solar 4,386 #24
Storage & Grid 2,197 #13
Clean Fuels 286 #21
Hydropower 203 #34
Nuclear 84 #38

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Indiana

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

Traditional hydropower
203
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
168

2. Pay & Career Roles in Indiana

Indiana contributes 0.35% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Indiana’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.3% of total clean-energy jobs (203 of 73,456 workers).

Cost-of-living in Indiana is roughly 8.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Indiana is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianIndiana-adjustedJob Zone
Hydrologic / Civil Engineer $95,890 $87,452 4
Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) $54,460 $49,668 3

See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Indiana employers rate 17.9% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 21.3% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 39.2% of Indiana’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
57.2%
Somewhat difficult hiring
21.3%
Very difficult hiring
17.9%
Not at all difficult hiring
3.7%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Manufacturing 139,115
Construction 44,766
Other Services 24,101
Trade 23,320
Professional Services 17,202
Utilities 12,824
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 10,630
Mining and Extraction 2,447
Agriculture and Forestry 2,046

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hydropower jobs are there in Indiana?
As of 2024, Indiana has approximately 203 hydropower jobs — ranked 34th 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 Indiana a good place to take one of these jobs?
Indiana is currently relatively loose. Cost-of-living runs 8.8% below 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.