Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
19-4051 Nuclear Technicians
Assist nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, or other scientists in laboratory, power generation, or electricity production activities. May operate, maintain, or provide quality control for nuclear testing and research equipment. May monitor radiation.
National estimates for Nuclear Technicians
Industry profile for Nuclear Technicians
Geographic profile for Nuclear Technicians
National estimates for Nuclear Technicians:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Nuclear Technicians:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 6,160 |
5.5 % |
$ 40.29 |
$ 83,810 |
1.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Nuclear Technicians:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 25.76 |
$ 31.56 |
$ 40.48 |
$ 48.20 |
$ 56.10 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 53,570 |
$ 65,650 |
$ 84,190 |
$ 100,260 |
$ 116,680 |
Industry profile for Nuclear Technicians:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Nuclear Technicians are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Nuclear Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Nuclear Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
3,270 |
0.86 |
$ 43.38 |
$ 90,230 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
770 |
0.10 |
$ 40.57 |
$ 84,390 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
230 |
0.02 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,810 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
160 |
0.01 |
$ 34.22 |
$ 71,170 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
80 |
0.00 |
$ 38.36 |
$ 79,780 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Nuclear Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
3,270 |
0.86 |
$ 43.38 |
$ 90,230 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
770 |
0.10 |
$ 40.57 |
$ 84,390 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
230 |
0.02 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,810 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
160 |
0.01 |
$ 34.22 |
$ 71,170 |
| Employment Services |
80 |
0.00 |
$ 38.05 |
$ 79,150 |
Top paying industries for Nuclear Technicians:
Geographic profile for Nuclear Technicians:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Nuclear Technicians are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Nuclear Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Nuclear Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Virginia |
860 |
0.23 |
5.26 |
$ 35.91 |
$ 74,700 |
| Ohio |
470 |
0.09 |
2.07 |
$ 37.32 |
$ 77,630 |
| Pennsylvania |
430 |
0.08 |
1.75 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Illinois |
380 |
0.07 |
1.54 |
$ 36.08 |
$ 75,040 |
| Tennessee |
320 |
0.11 |
2.52 |
$ 37.73 |
$ 78,480 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Virginia |
860 |
0.23 |
5.26 |
$ 35.91 |
$ 74,700 |
| New Mexico |
140 |
0.18 |
4.14 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Vermont |
40 |
0.13 |
2.84 |
$ 38.18 |
$ 79,410 |
| Tennessee |
320 |
0.11 |
2.52 |
$ 37.73 |
$ 78,480 |
| Ohio |
470 |
0.09 |
2.07 |
$ 37.32 |
$ 77,630 |
Top paying states for Nuclear Technicians:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Nuclear Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Knoxville, TN |
230 |
0.61 |
13.80 |
$ 36.53 |
$ 75,990 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
120 |
0.03 |
0.63 |
$ 34.13 |
$ 70,980 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
120 |
0.04 |
1.00 |
$ 43.40 |
$ 90,260 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
100 |
0.91 |
20.59 |
$ 33.55 |
$ 69,780 |
| Richmond, VA |
40 |
0.07 |
1.50 |
$ 45.12 |
$ 93,840 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
100 |
0.91 |
20.59 |
$ 33.55 |
$ 69,780 |
| Knoxville, TN |
230 |
0.61 |
13.80 |
$ 36.53 |
$ 75,990 |
| Richmond, VA |
40 |
0.07 |
1.50 |
$ 45.12 |
$ 93,840 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
120 |
0.04 |
1.00 |
$ 43.40 |
$ 90,260 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
120 |
0.03 |
0.63 |
$ 34.13 |
$ 70,980 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Nuclear Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 49.15 |
$ 102,240 |
| Richmond, VA |
40 |
0.07 |
1.50 |
$ 45.12 |
$ 93,840 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
120 |
0.04 |
1.00 |
$ 43.40 |
$ 90,260 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 40.44 |
$ 84,110 |
| Knoxville, TN |
230 |
0.61 |
13.80 |
$ 36.53 |
$ 75,990 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
120 |
0.03 |
0.63 |
$ 34.13 |
$ 70,980 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
100 |
0.91 |
20.59 |
$ 33.55 |
$ 69,780 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Nuclear Technicians:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Technicians:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Nuclear Technicians:
About May 2020 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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
