Nuclear Engineers earn a median of $133,970 per year ($64.41/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 0.4% through 2035, with about 800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 17-2161
- Architecture and Engineering
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Nuclear 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: Engineer, Nuclear Design Engineer, Nuclear Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer, Nuclear Process Engineer, Nuclear Reactor Engineer.
Pay
How much do Nuclear Engineers make?
Every nuclear 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 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.
Despite declining employment, about 800 openings for nuclear engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The increased focus on renewable energy and the limited construction of new nuclear power plants is expected to limit demand for nuclear engineers. However, these workers will still be needed to oversee and maintain operations of existing nuclear power plants.
Getting in
How to become a Nuclear Engineer
Nuclear engineers typically need at least bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering or a related field of engineering.
- 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 Engineer do?
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.
Nuclear engineers research and develop projects or address problems concerning the release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal. Some of these engineers research new reactor designs. Others may specialize in the development of safety regulations related to the handling of nuclear materials or operation of nuclear power.
Day-to-day tasks
- Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
- Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
- Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent study and research.
- Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
- Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
- Recommend preventive measures to be taken in the handling of nuclear technology, based on data obtained from operations monitoring or from evaluation of test results.
- Conduct environmental studies on topics such as nuclear power generation, nuclear waste disposal, or nuclear weapon deployment.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most nuclear engineers work full time. Their schedules vary with the industries in which they work.
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
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. 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.
Where nuclear engineers work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Nuclear electric power generation21%
- Scientific research and development services20%
- Federal government, excluding postal service17%
- Engineering services15%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Nuclear electric power generation | 21% |
| Scientific research and development services | 20% |
| Federal government, excluding postal service | 17% |
| Engineering services | 15% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
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 Engineer?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Nuclear Engineer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 4 |
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
- Realistic4.9
- Conventional4.5
- 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 Engineer
O*NET related occupations
- Production
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Architecture and Engineering
- Management
- Architecture and Engineering
More architecture and engineering careers
Median annual pay, with nuclear engineers highlighted
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960
- Nuclear 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 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
Specialty careers within nuclear engineer
Distinct careers BLS counts inside this occupation, each with its own profile.
Questions
Nuclear Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Nuclear Engineers make?
Nuclear Engineers earn a median of $133,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 163% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $64.41/hr. The middle half earn between $108,690 and $163,630. The top 10% earn $196,290 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Nuclear 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 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 Engineer do?
Nuclear engineers research and develop projects or address problems concerning the release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal. A core O*NET task: monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe 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 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, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.