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The national median salary for Nuclear Engineers is $127,525 per year ($61.31/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $103,022 and $157,602 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $187,429 per year. There are approximately 14,740 nuclear engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-1.1%
Slower than average
Annual openings
800
per year, on avg
Workforce today
15K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
NAICS 221100
3K
$134,580
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
3K
$140,070
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
3K
$110,060
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
3K
$116,230
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
320
$127,540
Wage range across top 5 industries: $110,060 to $140,070 (27% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$42.45
$88,296
P25
$49.53
$103,022
P50MEDIAN
$61.31
$127,525
P75
$75.77
$157,602
P90
$90.11
$187,429
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average nuclear engineers salary?
The national median salary for Nuclear Engineers is $127,525 per year ($61.31/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $103,022 and $157,602 annually.
How much do top-earning nuclear engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Nuclear Engineers is $187,429 per year ($90.11/hr). The 75th percentile is $157,602 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for nuclear engineers?
Entry-level Nuclear Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $88,296 per year ($42.45/hr). The 25th percentile is $103,022 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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