Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 19-4051

Nuclear Technicians

O*NET task statements lead this Nuclear Technicians card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Astronomers, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, Biochemists and Biophysicists, Physical Scientists, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Nuclear Technicians: Astronomers ($129K) , Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($103K) , Biochemists and Biophysicists ($127K) , Physical Scientists, All Other ($123K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Nuclear Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-4051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety
  2. 2. Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment
  3. 3. Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair
  4. 4. Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly
  5. 5. Apply safety tags to equipment needing maintenance
  6. 6. Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety
  7. 7. Monitor instruments, gauges, or recording devices under direction of nuclear experimenters
  8. 8. Modify, devise, or maintain nuclear equipment used in operations
  9. 9. Perform testing, maintenance, repair, or upgrading of accelerator systems
  10. 10. Warn maintenance workers of radiation hazards and direct workers to vacate hazardous areas
  11. 11. Calculate equipment operating factors, such as radiation times, dosages, temperatures, gamma intensities, or pressures, using standard fo…
  12. 12. Measure the intensity and identify the types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other inst…

O*NET skills and knowledge for Nuclear Technicians

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-4051 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.9
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.8
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.6
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.6
  6. 6. Quality Control Analysis 3.5
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.4
  8. 8. Writing 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.2
  2. 2. Mechanical 4.0
  3. 3. Physics 4.0
  4. 4. Engineering and Technology 3.7
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.6
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.5
National median after O*NET task lead
$110,240
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety
$110K
National median
↓ -8%
Growth 2024-2034
700
Annual openings
6,470
Estimated US jobs
Astronomers
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Nuclear Technicians

1. Washington $108,200
2. Florida $135,550
3. Illinois $110,390
4. South Carolina $108,490
5. New York $129,780
6. North Carolina $110,430
7. Massachusetts $113,390
8. Texas $124,060
9. Pennsylvania $124,070
10. Alabama $110,240

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Biochemists and Biophysicists $127,410
  2. 2. Physical Scientists, All Other $122,570
  3. 3. Astronomers $128,820
  4. 4. Sociologists $106,030
  5. 5. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
  6. 6. Materials Scientists $117,790

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Nuclear Technicians (SOC 19-4051). The national OEWS median is $110,240 inside Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Astronomers, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, Biochemists and Biophysicists, Physical Scientists, All Other. Lead published task: Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.

Employment Projections expect -8% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate'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: Washington at $108,200. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Astronomers at $128,820. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Nuclear Technicians sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Nuclear Technicians is pay-rank #10, 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.

Dive into Nuclear Technicians in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Washington

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Florida

Second-highest state pay

Astronomers

Highest-pay peer · $129K

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Lower-pay peer · $103K

Compare Side-by-Side

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Role and task next reads

Nuclear Technicians full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Nuclear Technicians at the top of the pay table? ▼
Nuclear Technicians is pay-rank #10 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Psychologists, All Other ($111K), Sociologists ($106K), Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($103K), Materials Scientists ($118K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do nuclear technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Nuclear Technicians. Leading ones include: Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety; Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment; Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair; Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for nuclear technicians? ▼
For SOC 19-4051, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.9), Monitoring (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.6), Active Listening (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Physics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Nuclear Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $110,240 as the national median for Nuclear Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $73,150 to $133,600. Beside Astronomers ($128,820), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Nuclear Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Nuclear Technicians is -8%. Projected annual openings: about 700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Nuclear Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Nuclear Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Nuclear Technicians? ▼
Washington ($108,200), Florida ($135,550), Illinois ($110,390) 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 Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-4051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Nuclear Technicians. 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