Designs nuclear reactor fuel and plans how fuel assemblies are loaded and used in a reactor core over each operating cycle. 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 Fuel 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: Fuel Engineer, Nuclear Fuel Design Engineer, Core Design Engineer, Fuel Cycle Engineer, Reactor Fuel Engineer.
Pay
How much do Nuclear Engineers make?
Every nuclear fuel 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 Fuel 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 Fuel Engineer
A bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering is the usual entry point, and graduate degrees are common for design and research roles. Coursework in reactor physics, heat transfer and materials is essential.
Engineers learn industry codes and NRC regulations on the job. The American Nuclear Society supports the field with standards and conferences, and some engineers become licensed professional engineers through the NCEES nuclear exam. Navy nuclear experience also leads into fuel roles. Experience with reactor physics codes and computer programming helps engineers move faster into core design work.
- 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 Fuel Engineer do?
Nuclear fuel engineers work on the uranium fuel that powers reactors. At fuel manufacturers and labs, they design fuel pellets, rods and assemblies and test how they hold up under radiation and heat. At utilities, they plan core loading patterns, deciding where each assembly goes and how many fresh ones to buy each cycle.
They run reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic codes to make sure the core stays within safety limits, monitor fuel performance, and support licensing submittals to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. New accident-tolerant fuels and advanced reactor fuels have opened more design work.
Day-to-day tasks
- Design fuel loading patterns for reactor cores
- Run reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analyses
- Verify core designs meet safety limits
- Monitor fuel performance during operation
- Evaluate new fuel designs and materials
- Support NRC licensing submittals
- Plan fuel purchases for upcoming cycles
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Fuel engineers work in offices and labs at utilities, fuel vendors and national laboratories, with occasional trips to plants during refueling outages. Work is mostly computer-based analysis. Outages and licensing deadlines bring longer hours. Fuel vendor roles may involve travel to fabrication plants and customer utilities. Access to nuclear plants requires background checks, fitness-for-duty testing and radiation worker training before entry.
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 Fuel Engineer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRC) built on O*NET's Nuclear Engineer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Nuclear Fuel 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
- Realistic5.2
- Conventional4.7
- 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 Fuel 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 Fuel 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 Fuel 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 Fuel Engineer appears on
Questions
Nuclear Fuel 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 Fuel 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 Fuel 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 Fuel Engineer do?
Nuclear fuel engineers work on the uranium fuel that powers reactors. A typical task: design fuel loading patterns for reactor cores. 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 Fuel 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.