Hydropower · Michigan
Michigan Hydropower jobs: 5,106 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Michigan (2024)
5,106
Rank #5 of 51
8.79% of U.S.
Michigan-adjusted median
$70,665
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 0.94.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Michigan
Traditional hydropower
5,106
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
308
Where Michigan’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 78,442 | #10 |
| Electric Vehicles | 9,414 | #3 |
| Solar | 5,758 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 5,106 | #5 |
| Wind | 5,100 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 3,060 | #7 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,933 | #5 |
| Clean Fuels | 551 | #10 |
Michigan vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
5. Michigan
5,106
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Michigan
| Role | SOC | National median | Michigan-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $90,137 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $51,192 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Michigan
Did not hire
47.2%
Very difficult hiring
24.6%
Somewhat difficult hiring
23.8%
Not at all difficult hiring
4.5%
NAICS industry mix for Michigan clean-energy jobs
Manufacturing
226,497
Construction
38,349
Trade
35,253
Other Services
31,606
Professional Services
28,467
Utilities
20,480
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
11,416
Mining and Extraction
1,986
Agriculture and Forestry
792
Michigan’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
5,758
Traditional hydropower
5,106
Wind
5,100
Natural gas electricity
4,025
Nuclear electricity
3,060
Coal electricity
2,854
Other electricity
1,151
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
1,108
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
308
Geothermal electricity
205
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
138
Full USEER workbook line items for Michigan
Fuels
| Fuels total | 10,501 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 5,292 |
| Natural gas fuels | 1,519 |
| Other fuels | 889 |
| Corn ethanol | 844 |
| Woody biomass | 739 |
| Other biofuels | 551 |
| Nuclear fuels | 425 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 191 |
| Coal fuels | 50 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 28,814 |
| Solar | 5,758 |
| Traditional hydropower | 5,106 |
| Wind | 5,100 |
| Natural gas electricity | 4,025 |
| Nuclear electricity | 3,060 |
| Coal electricity | 2,854 |
| Other electricity | 1,151 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 1,108 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 308 |
| Geothermal electricity | 205 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 138 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 32,475 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 22,374 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 5,682 |
| Storage | 2,933 |
| Other grid modernization | 545 |
| Micro grid | 481 |
| Smart grid | 459 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 78,442 |
| Advanced materials | 39,659 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 14,958 |
| Other | 12,227 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 7,552 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 4,047 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 244,614 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 195,520 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 14,362 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 9,414 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 7,999 |
| Other vehicles | 7,893 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 6,394 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 1,601 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 1,431 |
By NAICS Industry
| Manufacturing | 226,497 |
| Construction | 38,349 |
| Trade | 35,253 |
| Other Services | 31,606 |
| Professional Services | 28,467 |
| Utilities | 20,480 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 11,416 |
| Mining and Extraction | 1,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 792 |
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%