Utah Hydropower jobs: 390 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Utah employs 390 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.7% of the U.S. total. That makes Utah the 25th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Utah (2024)
National share: 0.67% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Utah ranks 25th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 390 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 69 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,243 hydropower workers.
1.1 Utah’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; Utah accounts for 390 of them.
1.3 Where Utah sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 34,013 | #25 |
| Solar | 8,288 | #13 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,021 | #28 |
| Wind | 769 | #36 |
| Storage & Grid | 714 | #32 |
| Hydropower | 390 | #25 |
| Clean Fuels | 124 | #38 |
| Nuclear | 47 | #40 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Utah
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Utah in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Utah
Utah contributes 0.67% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Utah’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.9% of total clean-energy jobs (390 of 45,365 workers).
Cost-of-living in Utah is roughly 1.5% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Utah is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Utah-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $94,452 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $53,643 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Utah employers rate 18.7% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 31.9% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.6% of Utah’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 | 36,894 |
| Other Services | 14,101 |
| Professional Services | 11,778 |
| Trade | 10,349 |
| Manufacturing | 9,311 |
| Mining and Extraction | 5,379 |
| Utilities | 3,297 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,086 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 4 |
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.