Nuclear Engineers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Nuclear Engineers pay in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC at a median of $110,510 per year ($53.13/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $133,970, the metro estimate is 18% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 1,260 nuclear engineers are employed across the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk MSA in SOC 17-2161.

The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk pay distribution spans from $77,520 at the 10th percentile to $160,620 at the 90th, a 2.1× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $97,580 and the 75th at $129,030, so half of Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk-based nuclear engineers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide VA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.