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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

51-8011 Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Operate or control nuclear reactors. Move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, and record data in logs. Implement emergency procedures when needed. May respond to abnormalities, determine cause, and recommend corrective action.


National estimates for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Industry profile for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Geographic profile for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

National estimates for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
5,760 1.4 % $ 58.29 $ 121,240 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 44.36 $ 49.94 $ 57.86 $ 64.47 $ 73.07
Annual Wage (2) $ 92,270 $ 103,880 $ 120,350 $ 134,100 $ 151,980


Industry profile for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,500 1.14 $ 59.10 $ 122,930
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 520 0.02 $ 57.30 $ 119,190
Scientific Research and Development Services 430 0.05 $ 53.83 $ 111,960
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 150 0.00 $ 55.04 $ 114,480
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 30 0.00 $ 38.18 $ 79,410

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,500 1.14 $ 59.10 $ 122,930
Scientific Research and Development Services 430 0.05 $ 53.83 $ 111,960
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 520 0.02 $ 57.30 $ 119,190
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 30 0.00 $ 38.18 $ 79,410
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 150 0.00 $ 55.04 $ 114,480

Top paying industries for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,500 1.14 $ 59.10 $ 122,930
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 520 0.02 $ 57.30 $ 119,190
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 150 (7) $ 55.04 $ 114,480
Scientific Research and Development Services 430 0.05 $ 53.83 $ 111,960
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 30 (7) $ 38.18 $ 79,410


Geographic profile for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of nuclear power reactor operators by state, May 2023


States with the highest employment level in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Carolina 420 0.19 4.94 $ 53.69 $ 111,670
Alabama 410 0.20 5.22 (8) (8)
Illinois 390 0.07 1.72 (8) (8)
North Carolina 350 0.07 1.90 $ 58.10 $ 120,840
Tennessee 300 0.09 2.49 $ 56.54 $ 117,590


Map of location quotient of nuclear power reactor operators by state, May 2023


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alabama 410 0.20 5.22 (8) (8)
South Carolina 420 0.19 4.94 $ 53.69 $ 111,670
Tennessee 300 0.09 2.49 $ 56.54 $ 117,590
North Carolina 350 0.07 1.90 $ 58.10 $ 120,840
Illinois 390 0.07 1.72 (8) (8)


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear power reactor operators by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 250 0.03 0.69 $ 65.77 $ 136,800
Ohio 150 0.03 0.73 $ 60.85 $ 126,570
North Carolina 350 0.07 1.90 $ 58.10 $ 120,840
Tennessee 300 0.09 2.49 $ 56.54 $ 117,590
South Carolina 420 0.19 4.94 $ 53.69 $ 111,670



Map of employment of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 320 0.11 2.96 $ 52.24 $ 108,650
Chattanooga, TN-GA 150 0.58 15.36 $ 57.31 $ 119,200


Map of location quotient of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chattanooga, TN-GA 150 0.58 15.36 $ 57.31 $ 119,200
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 320 0.11 2.96 $ 52.24 $ 108,650


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2023


Top paying metropolitan areas for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (8) (8) (8) $ 57.89 $ 120,410
Chattanooga, TN-GA 150 0.58 15.36 $ 57.31 $ 119,200
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 320 0.11 2.96 $ 52.24 $ 108,650


About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024