Employment
Utilities employed about 570,000 workers in 2004. Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution provided about 7 in 10 jobs, as shown in table 1.
| Industry | Employment | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| ||
Total, all utilities | 570 | 100.0 |
| ||
Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution | 412 | 72.3 |
Natural gas distribution | 112 | 19.6 |
Water, sewage, and other systems | 46 | 8.1 |
The diversity of production processes in the utilities industry was reflected in the size of the establishments that made up the industry. For example, the electric power and natural gas distribution sectors consisted of relatively large plants. In 2004, electric power generation, transmission, and distribution plants employed an average of about 51 workers per establishment. On the other hand, the water, sewage, and other systems sector employed an average of only 8 workers per establishment (table 2).
| Industry | Number of establishments | Employment per establishment |
|---|---|---|
| ||
Total, all utilities | 16,400 | 34 |
| ||
Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution | 8,000 | 51 |
Natural gas distribution | 2,700 | 40 |
Water, sewage, and other systems | 5,700 | 8 |
Although many establishments are small, most utilities jobs were in establishments with 50 or more workers (chart 1).
