Nuclear Engineers Salary: $175,195 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 14,740 nuclear engineers nationally earn a mean of $175,195. Projections imply about 7.8% annual decline; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Key Statistics
Nuclear Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about nuclear engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a nuclear engineers?
Nuclear Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2161.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 14,740 workers.
What does a nuclear engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a nuclear engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $127,520 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $175,195 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $136,111 |
| 25th percentile | $170,409 |
| Median (50th) | $172,217 |
| 75th percentile | $192,524 |
| 90th percentile | $207,397 |
What education do you need?
For Nuclear Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Science, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Design. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is nuclear engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -33.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -55.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 14,740.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do nuclear engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 14,740 | 18.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 11,850 | 14.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6,280 | 7.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6,280 | 7.8% |
| Utilities | 3,430 | 4.2% |
| Utilities | 3,430 | 4.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Nuclear Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Electrical Engineers | 188,790 | $111,910 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 30,780 | $75,190 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 68,440 | $134,830 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 13,590 | $97,360 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Nuclear Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
14,740 Workforce in 2023
The Nuclear Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Nuclear Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$175,195 Average Wage
In 2023, Nuclear Engineers earned an average of $175,195.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Nuclear Engineers.
Salary distribution for Nuclear Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
-7.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,197 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -33.5%
796 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -55.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Nuclear Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Nuclear Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Nuclear Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Nuclear Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 15.4% growth (Current: $175,195)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Nuclear Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Nuclear Engineers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 30 employees, $144,306 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nuclear Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 20 employees, $143,199 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 10 employees, $146,520 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Nuclear Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Nuclear Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Nuclear Engineers in 2023 was 14,740 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Nuclear Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Nuclear Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Nuclear Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Nuclear Engineers in 2023 were Engineering, Mathematics, Physics.
Common majors for Nuclear Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Nuclear Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Nuclear Engineers.
Skills
Nuclear Engineers need many skills, but most especially Science, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening.
Required skills for Nuclear Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Nuclear Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Nuclear Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Design, Chemistry.
Knowledge areas required for Nuclear Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Nuclear Engineers include Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Nuclear Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Nuclear Engineers.
Daily Activities
Nuclear Engineers spend their time on activities such as Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Nuclear Engineers.
About
Nuclear Engineers
The average yearly wage for Nuclear Engineers was $175,195 in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2161 - Nuclear Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Nuclear Engineers reports an average salary of $175,195, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 14,740 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -7.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.