Ohio Hydropower jobs: 400 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Ohio employs 400 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.7% of the U.S. total. That makes Ohio the 24th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Ohio (2024)
National share: 0.69% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Ohio ranks 24th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 400 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 79 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,233 hydropower workers.
1.1 Ohio’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; Ohio accounts for 400 of them.
1.3 Where Ohio sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 81,397 | #8 |
| Solar | 8,780 | #11 |
| Electric Vehicles | 6,793 | #4 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,812 | #16 |
| Nuclear | 1,786 | #13 |
| Wind | 1,679 | #23 |
| Hydropower | 400 | #24 |
| Clean Fuels | 392 | #14 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Ohio
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Ohio in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Ohio
Ohio contributes 0.69% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Ohio’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.4% of total clean-energy jobs (400 of 103,039 workers).
Cost-of-living in Ohio is roughly 8.2% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Ohio is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Ohio-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $88,027 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $49,994 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Ohio employers rate 22.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 34.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 57.1% of Ohio’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 123,332 |
| Construction | 69,916 |
| Other Services | 38,912 |
| Trade | 35,576 |
| Professional Services | 27,103 |
| Utilities | 18,139 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 12,898 |
| Mining and Extraction | 5,568 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 681 |
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.