Louisiana Hydropower jobs: 286 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Louisiana employs 286 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.5% of the U.S. total. That makes Louisiana the 29th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Louisiana (2024)
National share: 0.49% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Louisiana ranks 29th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 286 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 36 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,348 hydropower workers.
1.1 Louisiana’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; Louisiana accounts for 286 of them.
1.3 Where Louisiana sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 23,118 | #29 |
| Solar | 4,016 | #27 |
| Nuclear | 1,316 | #16 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,034 | #27 |
| Electric Vehicles | 611 | #35 |
| Wind | 476 | #40 |
| Hydropower | 286 | #29 |
| Clean Fuels | 189 | #29 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Louisiana
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Louisiana in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Louisiana
Louisiana contributes 0.49% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Louisiana’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.9% of total clean-energy jobs (286 of 31,046 workers).
Cost-of-living in Louisiana is roughly 9.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Louisiana is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Louisiana-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $87,260 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $49,559 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Louisiana employers rate 25.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 26.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — tighter than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.4% of Louisiana’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 | 55,919 |
| Mining and Extraction | 28,215 |
| Manufacturing | 25,620 |
| Other Services | 13,835 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 10,553 |
| Professional Services | 9,433 |
| Trade | 9,342 |
| Utilities | 7,440 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 773 |
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.