Nuclear Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Nuclear Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $133,970 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 15,280. Wage data is published for 44 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
17-2161.00
Job zone
4
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$133,970
Hourly median
$64.41
Employment
15,280
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Science | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Writing | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Mathematics | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Monitoring | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Learning | 3.88 | 4.00 |
Typical tasks
- Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
- Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
- Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
- Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
- Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
- Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
Technology
- ANISN dose assessment computer code
- ANSYS simulation software
- BERMUDA nuclear transport computer codes
- C++
- Discrete ordinates DORT dose assessment computer codes
- FOLLOW code
- Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
- Graphics software
- INCORE code
- Linux
- Maplesoft Maple
- Mathematical simulation software
- Mathsoft Mathcad
- MCNP dose assessment computer code
Nuclear Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in SCMedian $126,570 · Employment 1,440
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in WAMedian $129,480 · Employment 1,380
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in Virginia Beach, VAMedian $110,510 · Employment 1,260
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in CAMedian $172,400 · Employment 1,070
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in ILMedian $134,510 · Employment 1,040
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in Washington, DCMedian $180,360 · Employment 840
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $134,510 · Employment 710
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in NMMedian $164,300 · Employment 500
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in NCMedian $131,850 · Employment 460
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in MEMedian $123,780 · Employment 420
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in Portland, MEMedian $120,430 · Employment 370
- Nuclear Engineers Salary in Richmond, VAMedian $140,460 · Employment 350
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.