Hydropower · Minnesota
Minnesota Hydropower jobs: 1,063 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Minnesota (2024)
1,063
Rank #10 of 51
1.83% of U.S.
Minnesota-adjusted median
$73,446
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 0.98.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Minnesota
Traditional hydropower
1,063
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
207
Where Minnesota’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 46,177 | #19 |
| Solar | 5,390 | #22 |
| Wind | 2,870 | #12 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,210 | #12 |
| Nuclear | 1,761 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,341 | #23 |
| Hydropower | 1,063 | #10 |
| Clean Fuels | 377 | #15 |
Minnesota vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
10. Minnesota
1,063
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Minnesota
| Role | SOC | National median | Minnesota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $93,685 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $53,207 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Minnesota
Did not hire
44.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
34.3%
Very difficult hiring
15.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.9%
NAICS industry mix for Minnesota clean-energy jobs
Construction
43,201
Trade
18,589
Other Services
18,110
Manufacturing
16,970
Professional Services
15,203
Utilities
13,997
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
3,043
Agriculture and Forestry
1,707
Mining and Extraction
205
Minnesota’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
5,390
Wind
2,870
Other electricity
2,635
Nuclear electricity
1,761
Coal electricity
1,158
Natural gas electricity
1,109
Traditional hydropower
1,063
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
556
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
207
Geothermal electricity
145
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
103
Full USEER workbook line items for Minnesota
Fuels
| Fuels total | 10,761 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 6,500 |
| Corn ethanol | 1,716 |
| Natural gas fuels | 617 |
| Other fuels | 518 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 385 |
| Other biofuels | 377 |
| Woody biomass | 350 |
| Nuclear fuels | 265 |
| Coal fuels | 35 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 16,997 |
| Solar | 5,390 |
| Wind | 2,870 |
| Other electricity | 2,635 |
| Nuclear electricity | 1,761 |
| Coal electricity | 1,158 |
| Natural gas electricity | 1,109 |
| Traditional hydropower | 1,063 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 556 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 207 |
| Geothermal electricity | 145 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 103 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 22,894 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 17,487 |
| Storage | 2,210 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 2,162 |
| Other grid modernization | 375 |
| Micro grid | 364 |
| Smart grid | 296 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 46,177 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 12,635 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 11,715 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 9,580 |
| Other | 7,565 |
| Advanced materials | 4,682 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 34,198 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 26,181 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 2,050 |
| Other vehicles | 1,839 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 1,437 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 1,341 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 917 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 229 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 205 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 43,201 |
| Trade | 18,589 |
| Other Services | 18,110 |
| Manufacturing | 16,970 |
| Professional Services | 15,203 |
| Utilities | 13,997 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,043 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,707 |
| Mining and Extraction | 205 |
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 Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Shell script 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
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 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
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%