Vermont Hydropower jobs: 130 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Vermont employs 130 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.2% of the U.S. total. That makes Vermont the 39th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Vermont (2024)
National share: 0.22% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Vermont ranks 39th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 130 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 191 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,503 hydropower workers.
1.1 Vermont’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; Vermont accounts for 130 of them.
1.3 Where Vermont sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 10,515 | #41 |
| Solar | 1,834 | #33 |
| Storage & Grid | 480 | #38 |
| Wind | 360 | #42 |
| Nuclear | 168 | #31 |
| Electric Vehicles | 140 | #47 |
| Hydropower | 130 | #39 |
| Clean Fuels | 69 | #44 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Vermont
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Vermont in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Vermont
Vermont contributes 0.22% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Vermont’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 1.0% of total clean-energy jobs (130 of 13,696 workers).
Cost-of-living in Vermont is roughly 1.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Vermont is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Vermont-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $96,849 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $55,005 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Vermont employers rate 19.7% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.1% of Vermont’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 | 5,836 |
| Professional Services | 5,422 |
| Trade | 4,397 |
| Other Services | 2,801 |
| Manufacturing | 2,253 |
| Utilities | 1,365 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 199 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 14 |
| Mining and Extraction | 2 |
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.