Nuclear Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$133,970
United States, 2025
Employment
15,280
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$92,960
25th percentile
$108,690
75th percentile
$163,630
90th percentile
$196,290
Most important skills
- Science4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Writing4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Operations Analysis3.8
- Speaking3.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 23 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
23
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Science | 4.1 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Mathematics | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.8 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Nuclear EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | $195,190 | 230 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $180,360 | 840 | 2025 |
| Knoxville, TN | $179,660 | 240 | 2025 |
| CA | $172,400 | 1,070 | 2025 |
| NM | $164,300 | 500 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $161,050 | 330 | 2025 |
| MD | $157,960 | 180 | 2025 |
| Kennewick, WA | $156,460 | 230 | 2025 |
| Chattanooga, TN | $146,850 | 100 | 2025 |
| MA | $145,760 | 210 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $144,830 | 220 | 2025 |
| NY | $141,200 | 150 | 2025 |
| Syracuse, NY | $141,200 | 110 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $140,590 | 230 | 2025 |
| Richmond, VA | $140,460 | 350 | 2025 |
| Miami, FL | $138,220 | 30 | 2025 |
| Monroe, MI | $136,260 | 90 | 2025 |
| FL | $135,400 | 120 | 2025 |
| IL | $134,510 | 1,040 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $134,510 | 710 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Nuclear Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.