Is this a competitive Nuclear Engineers salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$93K
P25$109K
P50$134K
P75$164K
P90$196K
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $133,973 to $163,634 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Nuclear Engineers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 5.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.1 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Nuclear Engineers is $133,973 per year ($64.41/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $108,701 and $163,634 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $196,290 per year. There are approximately 15,280 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
4K
$134,250
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
3K
$146,760
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
3K
$118,440
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
2K
$136,580
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
510
$165,400
Wage range across top 5 industries: $118,440 to $165,400 (40% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$44.69
$92,955
P25
$52.26
$108,701
P50MEDIAN
$64.41
$133,973
P75
$78.67
$163,634
P90
$94.37
$196,290
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%
Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average nuclear engineers salary?
The national median salary for Nuclear Engineers is $133,973 per year ($64.41/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $108,701 and $163,634 annually.
How much do top-earning nuclear engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Nuclear Engineers is $196,290 per year ($94.37/hr). The 75th percentile is $163,634 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for nuclear engineers?
Entry-level Nuclear Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $92,955 per year ($44.69/hr). The 25th percentile is $108,701 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
