North Dakota Hydropower jobs: 45 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Dakota employs 45 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.1% of the U.S. total. That makes North Dakota the 50th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in North Dakota (2024)
National share: 0.08% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
North Dakota ranks 50th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 45 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 277 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,589 hydropower workers.
1.1 North Dakota’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 Dakota accounts for 45 of them.
1.3 Where North Dakota sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 5,583 | #50 |
| Wind | 1,723 | #21 |
| Storage & Grid | 368 | #42 |
| Solar | 352 | #49 |
| Electric Vehicles | 262 | #42 |
| Clean Fuels | 107 | #40 |
| Hydropower | 45 | #50 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Dakota
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for North Dakota in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in North Dakota
North Dakota contributes 0.08% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within North Dakota’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.5% of total clean-energy jobs (45 of 8,441 workers).
Cost-of-living in North Dakota is roughly 9.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in North Dakota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | North Dakota-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
North Dakota employers rate 21.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 51.1% of North Dakota’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 | 17,068 |
| Trade | 14,191 |
| Construction | 9,449 |
| Manufacturing | 5,857 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,920 |
| Other Services | 3,320 |
| Utilities | 3,283 |
| Professional Services | 1,812 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 551 |
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.