South Dakota Hydropower jobs: 65 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, South Dakota employs 65 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.1% of the U.S. total. That makes South Dakota the 48th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in South Dakota (2024)
National share: 0.11% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
South Dakota ranks 48th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 65 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 256 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,568 hydropower workers.
1.1 South 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; South Dakota accounts for 65 of them.
1.3 Where South Dakota sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 7,898 | #45 |
| Wind | 1,831 | #18 |
| Solar | 743 | #46 |
| Storage & Grid | 340 | #43 |
| Electric Vehicles | 327 | #40 |
| Clean Fuels | 79 | #43 |
| Hydropower | 65 | #48 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in South Dakota
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for South Dakota in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in South Dakota
South Dakota contributes 0.11% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within South Dakota’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.6% of total clean-energy jobs (65 of 11,282 workers).
Cost-of-living in South Dakota is roughly 10.3% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in South Dakota is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | South Dakota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $86,013 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $48,851 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
South Dakota employers rate 14.7% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.0% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 43.7% of South 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) |
|---|---|
| Construction | 9,080 |
| Manufacturing | 5,860 |
| Trade | 5,444 |
| Other Services | 3,922 |
| Utilities | 2,008 |
| Professional Services | 1,638 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 955 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 622 |
| Mining and Extraction | 65 |
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.