Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Nuclear Technicians is $104,229 per year ($50.11/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $83,325 and $113,714 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $126,880 per year. There are approximately 5,990 nuclear technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, or other scientists in laboratory, power generation, or electricity production activities. May operate, maintain, or provide quality control for nuclear testing and research equipment. May monitor radiation.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-7.7%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
700
per year, on avg
Workforce today
6K
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
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
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
$105,300
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
830
$83,560
Waste Treatment and Disposal
NAICS 562200
230
$98,180
Facilities Support Services
NAICS 561200
190
$58,900
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
180
$80,270
Wage range across top 5 industries: $58,900 to $105,300 (79% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$30.95
$64,376
P25
$40.06
$83,325
P50MEDIAN
$50.11
$104,229
P75
$54.67
$113,714
P90
$61.00
$126,880
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 technicians salary?
The national median salary for Nuclear Technicians is $104,229 per year ($50.11/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $83,325 and $113,714 annually.
How much do top-earning nuclear technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Nuclear Technicians is $126,880 per year ($61.00/hr). The 75th percentile is $113,714 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for nuclear technicians?
Entry-level Nuclear Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $64,376 per year ($30.95/hr). The 25th percentile is $83,325 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.