Virginia Hydropower jobs: 823 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Virginia employs 823 people in the hydropower sector — about 1.4% of the U.S. total. That makes Virginia the 15th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Virginia (2024)
National share: 1.42% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Virginia ranks 15th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 823 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 502 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 9,810 hydropower workers.
1.1 Virginia’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; Virginia accounts for 823 of them.
1.3 Where Virginia sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 79,241 | #9 |
| Solar | 6,005 | #17 |
| Wind | 2,527 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,509 | #16 |
| Nuclear | 2,426 | #10 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,486 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 823 | #15 |
| Clean Fuels | 327 | #17 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Virginia
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Virginia in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Virginia
Virginia contributes 1.42% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Virginia’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.9% of total clean-energy jobs (823 of 95,344 workers).
Cost-of-living in Virginia is roughly 3.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Virginia is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Virginia-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $98,767 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $56,094 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Virginia employers rate 19.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 26.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 46.1% of Virginia’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 | 66,425 |
| Professional Services | 39,112 |
| Other Services | 30,402 |
| Manufacturing | 21,369 |
| Trade | 17,717 |
| Utilities | 10,936 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 6,442 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,026 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 588 |
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.