Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 17-2161

Nuclear Engineers

O*NET task statements lead this Nuclear Engineers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Petroleum Engineers, Industrial Engineers, Materials Engineers, Mechanical Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Nuclear Engineers: Petroleum Engineers ($145K) , Industrial Engineers ($102K) , Materials Engineers ($113K) , Mechanical Engineers ($104K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Nuclear Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2161 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms
  2. 2. Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws…
  3. 3. Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations
  4. 4. Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures
  5. 5. Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards
  6. 6. Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems
  7. 7. Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance
  8. 8. Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal
  9. 9. Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results
  10. 10. Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies
  11. 11. Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste dispo…
  12. 12. Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize performance of existing p…

Nuclear Engineers: O*NET ranks Science first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2161 - lead skill Science at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Engineering and Technology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Science 4.1
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 4.1
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  4. 4. Active Listening 4.0
  5. 5. Writing 4.0
  6. 6. Mathematics 4.0
  7. 7. Monitoring 4.0
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Engineering and Technology 4.6
  2. 2. Physics 4.5
  3. 3. Mathematics 4.4
  4. 4. English Language 4.0
  5. 5. Public Safety and Security 4.0
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$133,970
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms
$134K
National median
↓ -1%
Growth 2024-2034
800
Annual openings
15,280
Estimated US jobs
Petroleum Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $145K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Nuclear Engineers

1. California $172,400
2. Florida $135,400
3. Illinois $134,510
4. Idaho $133,970
5. New York $141,200
6. Maryland $157,960
7. District of Columbia $195,190
8. Pennsylvania $133,250
9. Massachusetts $145,760
10. New Mexico $164,300

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Materials Engineers $112,860
  2. 2. Mechanical Engineers $104,110
  3. 3. Industrial Engineers $102,440
  4. 4. Petroleum Engineers $144,910
  5. 5. Environmental Engineers $107,110
  6. 6. Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $115,160

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Nuclear Engineers (SOC 17-2161). The national OEWS median is $133,970 inside Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Petroleum Engineers, Industrial Engineers, Materials Engineers, Mechanical Engineers. Lead published task: Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.

Employment Projections expect -1% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $172,400. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Petroleum Engineers at $144,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Nuclear Engineers pay-rank #4 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Among 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with a published OEWS median, Nuclear Engineers is pay-rank #4, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 17-2161 · national median $133,970 · upper third of Architecture and Engineering Occupations (#4/36). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Nuclear Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2161

California · top state for Nuclear Engineers

$172K published median

Florida · #2 state pay

$135K · behind California

Petroleum Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Nuclear Engineers · $145K

Industrial Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Nuclear Engineers · $102K

Compare Nuclear Engineers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Nuclear Engineers with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Nuclear Engineers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles sit near Nuclear Engineers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Nuclear Engineers is pay-rank #4 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Aerospace Engineers ($135K), Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($130K), Chemical Engineers ($125K), Petroleum Engineers ($145K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do nuclear engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Nuclear Engineers. Leading ones include: Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms; Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws…; Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations; Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for nuclear engineers? ▼
For SOC 17-2161, O*NET importance scores lead with Science (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Engineering and Technology, Physics, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Nuclear Engineers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $133,970 as the national median for Nuclear Engineers. The published 10th-90th range is $92,960 to $196,290. Beside Petroleum Engineers ($144,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Nuclear Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Nuclear Engineers is -1%. Projected annual openings: about 800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Nuclear Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Nuclear Engineers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Nuclear Engineers? ▼
California ($172,400), Florida ($135,400), Illinois ($134,510) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Nuclear Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2161. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Nuclear Engineers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics