Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
Median $115,160
Occupation · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What nuclear engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$133,970 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $140,420
- Median hourly wage
- $64.41
- Mean hourly wage
- $67.51
- Employment
- 15,280
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2161.
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See where your pay falls among nuclear engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do nuclear engineers make?
The median annual wage for nuclear engineers was $133,970 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $92,960 and the highest-paid 10% more than $196,290. As an hourly rate, the median is $64.41. About 15,280 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($195,190), California ($172,400) and New Mexico ($164,300). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Mexico.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for nuclear engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $92,960 | $44.69 | $7,747 | $6,186 |
| 25th percentile | $108,690 | $52.26 | $9,058 | $7,108 |
| Median | $133,970 | $64.41 | $11,164 | $8,570 |
| 75th percentile | $163,630 | $78.67 | $13,636 | $10,259 |
| 90th percentile | $196,290 | $94.37 | $16,358 | $12,119 |
Nuclear Engineers: pay by state
19 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$126,714 take-home in national prices
2
$119,249 take-home in national prices
3
$108,662 take-home in national prices
Where a median nuclear engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 230 | $195,190 | $128,960 | $207,480 | $131,056 | $119,249 |
| California | 1,070 | $172,400 | $109,990 | $207,740 | $115,072 | $103,931 |
| New Mexico | 500 | $164,300 | $126,780 | $242,730 | $116,845 | $126,714 |
| Maryland | 180 | $157,960 | $103,990 | $207,480 | $111,721 | $106,442 |
| Massachusetts | 210 | $145,760 | $67,750 | $174,710 | $103,154 | $97,539 |
| New York | 150 | $141,200 | $114,610 | $204,940 | $100,043 | $92,700 |
| Florida | 120 | $135,400 | $90,000 | $188,720 | $103,812 | $100,385 |
| Illinois | 1,040 | $134,510 | $102,890 | $171,060 | $96,690 | $96,731 |
| Idaho | Not published | $133,970 | $104,070 | $176,840 | $96,842 | $101,412 |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | $133,250 | $83,250 | $167,110 | $98,158 | $100,601 |
| Alabama | 290 | $132,570 | $97,950 | $161,290 | $96,517 | $108,662 |
| Georgia | 200 | $132,440 | $81,800 | $173,100 | $95,928 | $99,621 |
| North Carolina | 460 | $131,850 | $96,300 | $166,200 | $96,633 | $102,446 |
| Michigan | 330 | $129,940 | $80,570 | $159,030 | $94,808 | $98,536 |
| Washington | 1,380 | $129,480 | $83,100 | $200,930 | $97,969 | $91,549 |
| Virginia | Not published | $128,890 | $81,480 | $192,350 | $92,765 | $91,752 |
| Texas | 190 | $128,340 | $83,250 | $170,600 | $98,986 | $101,988 |
| South Carolina | 1,440 | $126,570 | $83,970 | $159,740 | $92,148 | $98,293 |
| Maine | 420 | $123,780 | $78,440 | $147,200 | $88,099 | $90,777 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2161. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.