Nuclear salary report 2026
What nuclear power jobs actually pay
Median pay for nuclear engineers, reactor operators, and technicians, from Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025. Below that, the pay stated in 1,153 live postings on Nuclear Hustle.
- Nuclear engineer
- $134k
- Median · 10th–90th $93k–$196k
- Reactor operator
- $123k
- Median · 10th–90th $99k–$149k
- Nuclear technician
- $110k
- Median · 10th–90th $73k–$134k
01 · By occupation
Pay by role
National annual pay across every employer of each occupation. All three roles sit on one scale, so the bands compare directly.
Nuclear Engineer
15,400 employed nationally
Design nuclear equipment, direct operating and maintenance activities, and research nuclear energy and radiation applications.
Browse 1,148 engineering roles →- 10th
- $93k
- 25th
- $109k
- Median
- $134k
- 75th
- $164k
- 90th
- $196k
Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
5,700 employed nationally
Control nuclear reactors, monitor control panels, and adjust controls to maintain safe and efficient power plant operation.
Browse 115 operations roles →- 10th
- $99k
- 25th
- $109k
- Median
- $123k
- 75th
- $130k
- 90th
- $149k
Nuclear Technician
6,000 employed nationally
Assist nuclear physicists and engineers in research, operate nuclear test equipment, monitor radiation, and maintain reactor safety.
Browse 75 health physics roles →- 10th
- $73k
- 25th
- $99k
- Median
- $110k
- 75th
- $124k
- 90th
- $134k
02 · Live postings
What employers are posting
1,153 of 2,713 published postings state pay, as of October 28, 2026. Each bar runs from the median posted minimum to the median posted maximum for that role, on the same scale as the chart above.
Westinghouse Electric posts 553 of them (48%), so read these as directional.
- Low
- $133k
- Median
- $141k
- High
- $146k
- Low
- $117k
- Median
- $130k
- High
- $141k
- Low
- $100k
- Median
- $118k
- High
- $139k
- Low
- $95k
- Median
- $116k
- High
- $129k
- Low
- $76k
- Median
- $85k
- High
- $91k
- Low
- $72k
- Median
- $77k
- High
- $83k
Left out: Security (1 posting, too few to chart); 83 postings with no role category.
03 · By state
Nuclear engineer pay by state
Median nuclear engineer pay in the eight largest nuclear states, against the national median of $134k. Pay runs higher where utilities have large headquarters or new-build work, and lower under TVA pay scales.
- 01Median $144k, difference from national median +$10k111 open roles →
Illinois
11 reactors
- 02Median $143k, difference from national median +$9k88 open roles →
Virginia
4 reactors
- 03Median $138k, difference from national median +$4k42 open roles →
Georgia
6 reactors
- 04Median $133k, difference from national median −$1k204 open roles →
Pennsylvania
9 reactors
- 05Median $132k, difference from national median −$2k218 open roles →
South Carolina
7 reactors
- 06Median $131k, difference from national median −$3k55 open roles →
North Carolina
5 reactors
- 07Median $126k, difference from national median −$8k25 open roles →
Alabama
4 reactors
- 08Median $124k, difference from national median −$10k7 open roles →
Tennessee
5 reactors · TVA scale
04 · 2021–2025
Pay growth since 2021
Median pay rose for all three occupations between 2021 and 2025. Nuclear technician pay rose fastest, from $84k to $110k. Figures are nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Nuclear Engineer
+11%$120k → $134k
- 2021: $120k
- 2022: $122k
- 2023: $125k
- 2024: $131k
- 2025: $134k
Reactor Operator
+16%$106k → $123k
- 2021: $106k
- 2022: $113k
- 2023: $121k
- 2024: $120k
- 2025: $123k
Nuclear Technician
+31%$84k → $110k
- 2021: $84k
- 2022: $87k
- 2023: $100k
- 2024: $105k
- 2025: $110k
See what these roles pay today
2,713 published nuclear roles, filterable by role, state, and operator. 1,153 state pay up front.
05 · Common questions
Nuclear salary FAQs
How much do nuclear engineers make?
Nuclear engineers earn a median annual salary of $133,970 with the top 10% earning over $196,000. Entry-level roles typically start around $93,000–$109,000.
What is the salary for a nuclear reactor operator?
Nuclear power reactor operators earn a median of $122,890 per year. This reflects experienced, licensed operators — the range runs from $98,640 at the 10th percentile to $149,310 at the 90th. Senior reactor operators (SRO license holders) command higher pay.
How much do nuclear technicians earn?
Nuclear technicians — including health physics techs, instrumentation techs, and chemistry techs — earn a median of $110,240 annually. The range runs from $73,150 at the 10th percentile to $133,600 at the 90th.
Do nuclear power plant jobs pay well?
Yes. Nuclear industry wages are well above national medians. The median nuclear engineer salary ($133,970) is roughly 25% above the median for all engineers. Reactor operators ($122,890) earn nearly double the national median wage across all occupations.
Which nuclear jobs pay the most?
Nuclear engineers and senior reactor operators are the highest-paid nuclear plant roles. Engineering roles in new-build projects (SMRs, advanced reactors) at companies like TerraPower and X-energy are also commanding premium compensation.
Do nuclear plant jobs include benefits beyond salary?
Yes — nuclear utilities typically offer strong defined-benefit pension plans, comprehensive health insurance, shift differentials for rotating schedules, and relocation packages for hard-to-fill roles.
Are nuclear industry salaries growing?
Compensation is holding steady or rising modestly. The US nuclear renaissance — driven by SMR development and licence extensions on existing plants — is creating demand for qualified operators and engineers, supporting wages.
Methodology
bls.gov/oes ↗Occupation, state, and trend figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 release, and earlier annual releases for the trend. Wages are medians across all employers and experience levels, and trend figures are not adjusted for inflation. Reactor counts are from the NRC list of operating units.
Posted pay comes from published jobs on Nuclear Hustle whose posting states a pay amount. A posted range uses its midpoint for the median. A single rate is used as-is. Hourly rates are annualised at 2,080 hours. Low and high are the median of posted minimums and the median of posted maximums. Roles with fewer than 4 postings are left out of the chart.
Companies that post pay are not a random sample of the industry. Westinghouse Electric is 48% of the listings that state pay. Treat listing figures as directional, not representative of industry-wide pay.