Hydropower · Washington
Washington Hydropower jobs: 2,676 employed (2024)
Hydropower Jobs in Washington (2024)
2,676
Rank #7 of 51
4.61% of U.S.
Washington-adjusted median
$81,264
Across 2 tracked hydropower roles, BEA RPP × 1.08.
Hydropower sub-sector breakdown in Washington
Traditional hydropower
2,676
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
344
Where Washington’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 61,884 | #13 |
| Solar | 5,845 | #18 |
| Wind | 3,485 | #10 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,790 | #7 |
| Hydropower | 2,676 | #7 |
| Clean Fuels | 1,444 | #2 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,346 | #22 |
| Nuclear | 608 | #28 |
Washington vs. the hydropower leader, median, and bottom
1st · California
10,633
7. Washington
2,676
25th · New Jersey
321
51st · Hawaii
37
States with comparable hydropower employment
Hydropower roles and pay in Washington
| Role | SOC | National median | Washington-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | 17-2051.00 | $95,890 | $103,657 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | 51-8031.00 | $54,460 | $58,871 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Washington
Did not hire
53.4%
Very difficult hiring
21.6%
Somewhat difficult hiring
21.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
3.6%
NAICS industry mix for Washington clean-energy jobs
Construction
52,600
Professional Services
27,791
Other Services
21,844
Trade
15,877
Utilities
14,773
Manufacturing
14,722
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
3,231
Agriculture and Forestry
428
Mining and Extraction
99
Washington’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
5,845
Wind
3,485
Traditional hydropower
2,676
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
1,185
Other electricity
786
Natural gas electricity
766
Nuclear electricity
608
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
344
Coal electricity
276
Geothermal electricity
161
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
102
Full USEER workbook line items for Washington
Fuels
| Fuels total | 9,963 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 5,681 |
| Other biofuels | 1,444 |
| Woody biomass | 1,082 |
| Natural gas fuels | 518 |
| Other fuels | 501 |
| Corn ethanol | 324 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 271 |
| Nuclear fuels | 71 |
| Coal fuels | 70 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 16,232 |
| Solar | 5,845 |
| Wind | 3,485 |
| Traditional hydropower | 2,676 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 1,185 |
| Other electricity | 786 |
| Natural gas electricity | 766 |
| Nuclear electricity | 608 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 344 |
| Coal electricity | 276 |
| Geothermal electricity | 161 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 102 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 29,094 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 20,451 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 4,649 |
| Storage | 2,790 |
| Other grid modernization | 417 |
| Smart grid | 398 |
| Micro grid | 388 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 61,884 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 18,606 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 15,075 |
| Other | 12,635 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 8,468 |
| Advanced materials | 7,099 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 34,191 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 26,463 |
| Other vehicles | 2,294 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 2,053 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 1,346 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 905 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 701 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 227 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 203 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 52,600 |
| Professional Services | 27,791 |
| Other Services | 21,844 |
| Trade | 15,877 |
| Utilities | 14,773 |
| Manufacturing | 14,722 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 3,231 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 428 |
| Mining and Extraction | 99 |
Skill profile for hydropower roles
Top skills
Active Listening3.69
Critical Thinking3.57
Speaking3.57
Reading Comprehension3.50
Complex Problem Solving3.44
Mathematics3.44
Monitoring3.44
Time Management3.38
Knowledge
Mathematics4.05
Engineering and Technology4.05
English Language3.53
Building and Construction3.50
Design3.49
Administration and Management3.48
Public Safety and Security3.36
Physics3.30
Core abilities
Oral Comprehension3.88
Oral Expression3.88
Written Comprehension3.81
Deductive Reasoning3.75
Problem Sensitivity3.69
Near Vision3.69
Inductive Reasoning3.63
Written Expression3.56
Representative tasks for hydropower workers
- Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures. (Core)
- Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools. (Core)
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site. (Core)
- Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards. (Core)
- Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities. (Core)
- Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools. (Core)
- Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms. (Core)
- Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility. (Core)
- Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes. (Supplemental)
- Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects. (Supplemental)
- Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids. (Core)
- Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites. (Supplemental)
Software and tools used in hydropower roles
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Autodesk Revit 🔥
Shell script 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
Bentley MicroStation 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
C 🔥
Extensible markup language XML 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥
Microsoft Dynamics 🔥
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 🔥
Adobe Acrobat 🔥
Procore software 🔥
Apache Subversion SVN 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
Education & training paths into hydropower
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification3.9%
Apprenticeship2.5%
OJ
On-the-Job Training13.3%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training14.3%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education25.0%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience14.3%