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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

17-2161 Nuclear Engineers

Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.


National estimates for Nuclear Engineers
Industry profile for Nuclear Engineers
Geographic profile for Nuclear Engineers

National estimates for Nuclear Engineers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Nuclear Engineers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
12,710 7.1 % $ 61.03 $ 126,950 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Nuclear Engineers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 39.50 $ 48.32 $ 60.32 $ 68.61 $ 83.66
Annual Wage (2) $ 82,150 $ 100,500 $ 125,460 $ 142,700 $ 174,020


Industry profile for Nuclear Engineers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Nuclear Engineers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Nuclear Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Nuclear Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,650 1.18 $ 60.16 $ 125,140
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 2,600 0.12 $ 55.65 $ 115,750
Scientific Research and Development Services 2,210 0.24 $ 62.35 $ 129,690
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,350 0.08 $ 66.47 $ 138,250
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 540 0.03 $ 77.12 $ 160,410

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Nuclear Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,650 1.18 $ 60.16 $ 125,140
Scientific Research and Development Services 2,210 0.24 $ 62.35 $ 129,690
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 2,600 0.12 $ 55.65 $ 115,750
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,350 0.08 $ 66.47 $ 138,250
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 540 0.03 $ 77.12 $ 160,410

Top paying industries for Nuclear Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 40 (7) $ 85.92 $ 178,710
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 540 0.03 $ 77.12 $ 160,410
Facilities Support Services 50 0.03 $ 68.75 $ 143,000
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,350 0.08 $ 66.47 $ 138,250
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 100 (7) $ 65.79 $ 136,840


Geographic profile for Nuclear Engineers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Nuclear Engineers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Nuclear Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of nuclear engineers by state, May 2023


States with the highest employment level in Nuclear Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 1,410 0.40 4.82 $ 56.28 $ 117,070
New Mexico 1,190 1.41 16.86 $ 70.84 $ 147,350
Virginia 1,190 0.30 3.57 $ 54.30 $ 112,940
South Carolina 970 0.44 5.24 $ 51.48 $ 107,090
Pennsylvania 730 0.12 1.47 $ 60.85 $ 126,580


Map of location quotient of nuclear engineers by state, May 2023


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Mexico 1,190 1.41 16.86 $ 70.84 $ 147,350
South Carolina 970 0.44 5.24 $ 51.48 $ 107,090
Washington 1,410 0.40 4.82 $ 56.28 $ 117,070
District of Columbia 260 0.37 4.44 $ 78.66 $ 163,610
Virginia 1,190 0.30 3.57 $ 54.30 $ 112,940


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear engineers by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Nuclear Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 260 0.37 4.44 $ 78.66 $ 163,610
New Mexico 1,190 1.41 16.86 $ 70.84 $ 147,350
New York 290 0.03 0.37 $ 66.52 $ 138,360
Utah 40 0.02 0.25 $ 66.20 $ 137,690
Maryland 330 0.12 1.45 $ 65.72 $ 136,710



Map of employment of nuclear engineers by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Nuclear Engineers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 740 1.01 12.04 $ 50.10 $ 104,210
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 590 0.19 2.28 $ 73.11 $ 152,060
Albuquerque, NM 470 1.19 14.24 $ 71.24 $ 148,190
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 330 0.12 1.40 $ 64.32 $ 133,790
Pittsburgh, PA 280 0.26 3.08 $ 59.58 $ 123,930
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 210 0.94 11.20 $ 56.92 $ 118,390
Kennewick-Richland, WA 210 1.70 20.33 $ 69.10 $ 143,730
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 160 0.04 0.43 $ 62.63 $ 130,270
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 150 0.40 4.84 $ 49.63 $ 103,230
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 140 0.03 0.41 $ 55.84 $ 116,160


Map of location quotient of nuclear engineers by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Engineers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Monroe, MI 110 2.76 33.01 $ 57.81 $ 120,250
Kennewick-Richland, WA 210 1.70 20.33 $ 69.10 $ 143,730
Albuquerque, NM 470 1.19 14.24 $ 71.24 $ 148,190
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 740 1.01 12.04 $ 50.10 $ 104,210
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 210 0.94 11.20 $ 56.92 $ 118,390
Lynchburg, VA 90 0.90 10.78 $ 52.02 $ 108,200
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 150 0.40 4.84 $ 49.63 $ 103,230
Pittsburgh, PA 280 0.26 3.08 $ 59.58 $ 123,930
Columbia, SC 80 0.22 2.58 $ 56.35 $ 117,200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 590 0.19 2.28 $ 73.11 $ 152,060


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear engineers by area, May 2023


Top paying metropolitan areas for Nuclear Engineers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 70 0.02 0.28 $ 83.09 $ 172,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 30 0.01 0.07 $ 74.47 $ 154,890
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 590 0.19 2.28 $ 73.11 $ 152,060
Albuquerque, NM 470 1.19 14.24 $ 71.24 $ 148,190
Kennewick-Richland, WA 210 1.70 20.33 $ 69.10 $ 143,730
Knoxville, TN 70 0.18 2.14 $ 65.66 $ 136,570
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 330 0.12 1.40 $ 64.32 $ 133,790
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 160 0.04 0.43 $ 62.63 $ 130,270
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (8) (8) (8) $ 62.47 $ 129,930
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 40 0.03 0.41 $ 62.27 $ 129,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Nuclear Engineers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 40 0.24 2.91 $ 66.15 $ 137,600

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Engineers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 40 0.24 2.91 $ 66.15 $ 137,600

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Nuclear Engineers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 68.69 $ 142,870
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 40 0.24 2.91 $ 66.15 $ 137,600


About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024