Prevents accidental nuclear chain reactions at facilities that handle uranium and plutonium, such as fuel plants, labs and waste sites. BLS does not publish separate figures for nuclear engineers; it counts them within nuclear engineer (SOC 17-2161), whose median pay is $133,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 17-2161
- Architecture and Engineering
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $133,970a year, or $64.41/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $93KTop 10% $196K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +0.4%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+0.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +0.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 80016,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202516.6K
- Projected 203516.6K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 16.6K Projected 2035 16.6K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's81%
- Master's19.1%
Highest education held by nuclear engineers Segment Value Bachelor's 81% Master's 19.1%
Also advertised as: Criticality Safety Engineer, Criticality Safety Analyst, NCS Engineer, Senior Criticality Safety Engineer.
Pay
How much do Nuclear Engineers make?
Every nuclear criticality safety engineer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$133,970
Middle half earn $108,690 to $163,630
- 10th
- $92,960
- 25th
- $108,690
- 75th
- $163,630
- 90th
- $196,290
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $92,960 |
| 25th | $108,690 |
| Median | $133,970 |
| 75th | $163,630 |
| 90th | $196,290 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $133,970
- Median hourly wage
- $64.41/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $140,420
- People employed
- 15,280
Versus all US occupations
At $133,970, Nuclear Engineers earn 163% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $82,990 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
Inside the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $104,110, this is 29% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $196,290 or more while the bottom 10% earn $92,960, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 89% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($195,190), but once local prices are taken into account New Mexico leads at $178,176 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Nuclear Engineers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $195,190 | $177,605 | 230 |
| 2California | $172,400 | $155,708 | 1,070 |
| 3New Mexico | $164,300 | $178,176 | 500 |
| 4Maryland | $157,960 | $150,497 | 180 |
| 5Massachusetts | $145,760 | $137,825 | 210 |
| 6New York | $141,200 | $130,836 | 150 |
| 7Florida | $135,400 | $130,930 | 120 |
| 8Illinois | $134,510 | $134,567 | 1,040 |
| 9Idaho | $133,970 | $140,292 | N/A |
| 10Pennsylvania | $133,250 | $136,566 | 340 |
Job outlook
Is Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +0.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineers | +0.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Nuclear Engineers to change 0.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 800 openings are projected each year, 4.8% of the 16,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Most criticality safety engineers hold a bachelor's or master's degree in nuclear engineering or physics. The field is small, so much of the training happens on the job, with qualification programs at each site that can take a year or more.
The Department of Energy's Nuclear Criticality Safety Program offers hands-on courses, and the American Nuclear Society's Nuclear Criticality Safety Division maintains the ANSI/ANS-8 standards that define practice. Some sites require a security clearance. Engineers typically complete site qualification, including written and oral boards, before signing evaluations on their own.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as nuclear engineers.
- Bachelor's Degree81%
- Master's Degree19.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 81% |
| Master's Degree | 19.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer do?
Outside a reactor, a chain reaction is an accident. Nuclear criticality safety engineers make sure it never happens at places that process, store or ship fissile material. They analyze how much material can be handled together, in what shapes and containers, and with what spacing, then set the limits operators must follow.
They run Monte Carlo neutron transport codes, write criticality safety evaluations, walk down processes on the floor, and train workers on the controls. They work at fuel fabrication plants, enrichment facilities, Department of Energy sites and national labs.
Day-to-day tasks
- Write criticality safety evaluations for fissile material operations
- Run Monte Carlo neutron transport calculations
- Set mass, geometry and spacing limits for operations
- Walk down processes to verify controls are in place
- Train operators on criticality safety controls
- Review facility changes for criticality risk
- Investigate criticality safety infractions
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Criticality safety engineers work in offices at nuclear facilities and labs, with regular visits to process areas that require radiation protection procedures. Many jobs are at remote government sites. Hours are generally regular. Work at government facilities may involve security clearances, controlled areas and limits on personal electronics. Engineers spend time in meetings with operators and supervisors to explain the safety limits they set.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Science4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Writing4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Active Learning3.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Science | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Mathematics | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Operations Analysis3.8
- Systems Analysis3.8
- Systems Evaluation3.8
- Coordination3.6
- Operations Monitoring3.6
- Time Management3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Development environment software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ICR) built on O*NET's Nuclear Engineer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative6.4
- Realistic5.0
- Conventional4.9
- Enterprising2.5
- Artistic2.0
- Social1.9
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
O*NET related occupations
- Architecture and Engineering
- Production
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Architecture and Engineering
- Management
More architecture and engineering careers
Median annual pay, with nuclear engineers highlighted
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960
- Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer$133,970
- Electrical Engineer$120,630
- Environmental Engineer$107,110
- Mechanical Engineer$104,110
- Automotive Engineer$104,110
- Industrial Engineer$102,440
- Civil Engineer$100,840
- Architect$99,280
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineer | $134,960 |
| Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer | $133,970 |
| Electrical Engineer | $120,630 |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 |
| Automotive Engineer | $104,110 |
| Industrial Engineer | $102,440 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,840 |
| Architect | $99,280 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer appears on
Questions
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Nuclear Engineers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for nuclear engineers. It counts them within nuclear engineer, whose median pay is $133,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $108,690 and $163,630, and the top 10% earn $196,290 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Nuclear Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.4% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer do?
Outside a reactor, a chain reaction is an accident. A typical task: write criticality safety evaluations for fissile material operations. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Nuclear Engineers the most?
The highest state medians for Nuclear Engineers are District of Columbia ($195,190), California ($172,400), New Mexico ($164,300) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, New Mexico moves to the top at $178,176.
What personality type suits a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer?
O*NET scores Nuclear Engineers highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, INTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.