Hydropower · Oregon
Oregon Hydropower jobs: 1,774 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Oregon (2024)
1,774
Rank #8 of 51
3.05% of U.S.
Oregon-adjusted median
$78,032
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 1.04.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Oregon
Traditional hydropower
1,774
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
172
Where Oregon’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 41,357 | #21 |
| Solar | 5,807 | #19 |
| Hydropower | 1,774 | #8 |
| Wind | 1,717 | #22 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,578 | #18 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,112 | #26 |
| Clean Fuels | 601 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 199 | #30 |
Oregon vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
8. Oregon
1,774
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Oregon
| Role | SOC | National median | Oregon-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $99,534 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $56,529 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Oregon
Did not hire
48.3%
Somewhat difficult hiring
28.2%
Very difficult hiring
17.8%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.7%
NAICS industry mix for Oregon clean-energy jobs
Construction
31,116
Manufacturing
18,022
Other Services
14,819
Professional Services
12,911
Trade
9,210
Utilities
7,146
Agriculture and Forestry
2,996
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
1,198
Mining and Extraction
48
Oregon’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
5,807
Traditional hydropower
1,774
Wind
1,717
Natural gas electricity
728
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
372
Other electricity
216
Coal electricity
203
Nuclear electricity
199
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
172
Geothermal electricity
117
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
80
Full USEER workbook line items for Oregon
Fuels
| Fuels total | 5,764 |
| Woody biomass | 3,700 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 611 |
| Other biofuels | 601 |
| Natural gas fuels | 261 |
| Other fuels | 220 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 158 |
| Corn ethanol | 155 |
| Nuclear fuels | 47 |
| Coal fuels | 12 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 11,386 |
| Solar | 5,807 |
| Traditional hydropower | 1,774 |
| Wind | 1,717 |
| Natural gas electricity | 728 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 372 |
| Other electricity | 216 |
| Coal electricity | 203 |
| Nuclear electricity | 199 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 172 |
| Geothermal electricity | 117 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 80 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 13,572 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 8,304 |
| Other grid modernization | 1,688 |
| Storage | 1,578 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 1,418 |
| Smart grid | 333 |
| Micro grid | 251 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 41,357 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 10,688 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 10,614 |
| Advanced materials | 8,917 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 5,819 |
| Other | 5,319 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 25,386 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 19,615 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 1,700 |
| Other vehicles | 1,122 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 1,112 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 767 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 707 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 192 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 171 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 31,116 |
| Manufacturing | 18,022 |
| Other Services | 14,819 |
| Professional Services | 12,911 |
| Trade | 9,210 |
| Utilities | 7,146 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,996 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 1,198 |
| Mining and Extraction | 48 |
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 Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
C 🔥
Extensible markup language XML 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Microsoft Dynamics 🔥
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 🔥
Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥
Procore software 🔥
Adobe Acrobat 🔥
Apache Subversion SVN 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Autodesk Revit 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Shell script 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
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%