How much does a nuclear engineer make?
a year · about $64 an hour
A typical nuclear engineer in the United States makes $133,970 a year, about $64 an hour, about 2.6× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
Some work at a computer, others at a power plant: they check equipment and safety rules, analyze test results, and write reports or operating instructions. They meet with other engineers to keep designs and operations safe.
Did you know? Nuclear engineers can help design spacecraft power systems: the U.S. launched its first—and still only—space fission reactor in 1965.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $92,960 and $196,290How do you become one?
Study math and science in high school, then earn a bachelor's in nuclear engineering or a related field; internships help. Entry jobs need no license, but experienced engineers may earn a state PE license after work experience and FE and PE exams.
School needed: Usually a bachelor's degree
Good for people who like figuring things out and building and doing
Why does pay differ?
In the United States, pay can rise with experience or a PE license, and it differs by employer type and location; BLS reports differences across industries. Specialties such as research, power, medicine, defense, or space involve different work, and schedules vary by industry, too.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in District of Columbia ($195,190), lowest in Maine ($123,780).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $92,960 | $133,970 | $196,290 | about 15,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $195,190 | about 230 |
| California | $172,400 | about 1,000 |
| New Mexico | $164,300 | about 500 |
| Maryland | $157,960 | about 180 |
| Massachusetts | $145,760 | about 210 |
Official definition: Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/nuclear-engineers.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2161.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- www.nasa.gov/space-technology-mission-directorate/tdm/space-nuclear-propulsion
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY