Iowa Hydropower jobs: 125 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Iowa employs 125 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.2% of the U.S. total. That makes Iowa the 40th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Iowa (2024)
National share: 0.22% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Iowa ranks 40th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 125 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 196 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,508 hydropower workers.
1.1 Iowa’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The hydropower sector nationwide employs roughly 58,089 workers; Iowa accounts for 125 of them.
1.3 Where Iowa sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 21,088 | #30 |
| Wind | 3,895 | #9 |
| Solar | 1,405 | #40 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,190 | #25 |
| Storage & Grid | 901 | #30 |
| Nuclear | 626 | #27 |
| Clean Fuels | 231 | #25 |
| Hydropower | 125 | #40 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Iowa
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Iowa in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Iowa
Iowa contributes 0.22% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Iowa’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.4% of total clean-energy jobs (125 of 29,462 workers).
Cost-of-living in Iowa is roughly 9.9% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Iowa is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Iowa-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $86,397 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $49,068 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Iowa employers rate 23.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 24.8% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 47.7% of Iowa’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.
4.1 Employer hiring difficulty
4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group
| Industry (NAICS group) | Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|
| Construction | 24,088 |
| Manufacturing | 18,675 |
| Trade | 14,334 |
| Other Services | 11,679 |
| Utilities | 6,403 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 4,558 |
| Professional Services | 4,427 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,487 |
| Mining and Extraction | 41 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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.