Rhode Island Hydropower jobs: 93 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Rhode Island employs 93 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.2% of the U.S. total. That makes Rhode Island the 47th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Rhode Island (2024)
National share: 0.16% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Rhode Island ranks 47th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 93 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 228 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,540 hydropower workers.
1.1 Rhode Island’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; Rhode Island accounts for 93 of them.
1.3 Where Rhode Island sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 11,582 | #39 |
| Solar | 1,566 | #37 |
| Wind | 614 | #38 |
| Storage & Grid | 169 | #49 |
| Electric Vehicles | 128 | #49 |
| Hydropower | 93 | #47 |
| Nuclear | 67 | #39 |
| Clean Fuels | 48 | #47 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Rhode Island
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Rhode Island in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Rhode Island
Rhode Island contributes 0.16% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Rhode Island’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.7% of total clean-energy jobs (93 of 14,267 workers).
Cost-of-living in Rhode Island is roughly 0.9% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Rhode Island is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Rhode Island-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $96,753 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $54,950 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Rhode Island employers rate 19.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 33.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 52.5% of Rhode Island’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 | 8,269 |
| Trade | 4,123 |
| Professional Services | 4,069 |
| Other Services | 3,682 |
| Manufacturing | 1,591 |
| Utilities | 1,502 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 193 |
| Mining and Extraction | 1 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 0 |
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.