North Carolina Hydropower jobs: 806 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Carolina employs 806 people in the hydropower sector — about 1.4% of the U.S. total. That makes North Carolina the 16th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in North Carolina (2024)
National share: 1.39% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
North Carolina ranks 16th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 806 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 485 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 9,827 hydropower workers.
1.1 North Carolina’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; North Carolina accounts for 806 of them.
1.3 Where North Carolina sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 83,490 | #7 |
| Solar | 10,224 | #7 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,747 | #14 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,020 | #15 |
| Wind | 1,731 | #20 |
| Nuclear | 1,565 | #15 |
| Hydropower | 806 | #16 |
| Clean Fuels | 571 | #9 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Carolina
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for North Carolina in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in North Carolina
North Carolina contributes 1.39% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within North Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.8% of total clean-energy jobs (806 of 103,154 workers).
Cost-of-living in North Carolina is roughly 3.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in North Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | North Carolina-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $92,246 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $52,391 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
North Carolina employers rate 18.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 36.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 55.0% of North Carolina’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 | 54,511 |
| Professional Services | 47,657 |
| Manufacturing | 44,541 |
| Other Services | 39,092 |
| Trade | 23,647 |
| Utilities | 14,591 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,791 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,119 |
| Mining and Extraction | 301 |
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.