Wisconsin Hydropower jobs: 305 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Wisconsin employs 305 people in the hydropower sector — about 0.5% of the U.S. total. That makes Wisconsin the 27th-largest state for hydropower jobs nationwide.
Hydropower Jobs in Wisconsin (2024)
National share: 0.53% of all U.S. hydropower jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Wisconsin ranks 27th out of 51 U.S. states in hydropower employment. At 305 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked New Jersey’s tally by 17 jobs, and trails the national leader California by 10,328 hydropower workers.
1.1 Wisconsin’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; Wisconsin accounts for 305 of them.
1.3 Where Wisconsin sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 58,160 | #15 |
| Solar | 4,429 | #23 |
| Wind | 2,002 | #17 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,925 | #19 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,526 | #19 |
| Nuclear | 945 | #22 |
| Clean Fuels | 308 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 305 | #27 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Wisconsin
Every hydropower-related sub-category reported for Wisconsin in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Wisconsin
Wisconsin contributes 0.53% of the nation’s hydropower workforce. Within Wisconsin’s own clean-energy economy, hydropower accounts for 0.4% of total clean-energy jobs (305 of 69,599 workers).
Cost-of-living in Wisconsin is roughly 6.9% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for hydropower roles in Wisconsin is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Wisconsin-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrologic / Civil Engineer | $95,890 | $89,274 | 4 |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator (Hydro) | $54,460 | $50,702 | 3 |
See all 2 hydropower occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Wisconsin employers rate 20.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 24.9% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 45.0% of Wisconsin’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 46,604 |
| Construction | 38,757 |
| Trade | 19,019 |
| Other Services | 18,866 |
| Professional Services | 10,962 |
| Utilities | 8,479 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 4,864 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 898 |
| Mining and Extraction | 50 |
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.