New Mexico Hydropower jobs: 110 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, New Mexico employs 110 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.2% of the U.S. total. That makes New Mexico the 46th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in New Mexico (2024)
National share: 0.19% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
New Mexico ranks 46th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 110 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 211 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,523 hydropower workers.
1.1 New Mexico’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; New Mexico accounts for 110 of them.
1.3 Where New Mexico sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 6,988 | #48 |
| Solar | 3,378 | #30 |
| Wind | 1,239 | #30 |
| Storage & Grid | 481 | #37 |
| Electric Vehicles | 312 | #41 |
| Clean Fuels | 133 | #37 |
| Hydropower | 110 | #46 |
| Nuclear | 98 | #36 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in New Mexico
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for New Mexico in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in New Mexico
New Mexico contributes 0.19% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within New Mexico’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.9% of total clean-energy jobs (110 of 12,740 workers).
Cost-of-living in New Mexico is roughly 7.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in New Mexico is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | New Mexico-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $88,411 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $50,212 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
New Mexico employers rate 22.2% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.5% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.8% of New Mexico’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) |
|---|---|
| Mining and Extraction | 19,901 |
| Construction | 15,246 |
| Professional Services | 10,503 |
| Manufacturing | 8,343 |
| Other Services | 6,295 |
| Utilities | 4,538 |
| Trade | 2,949 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,005 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 83 |
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.