Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

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:

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
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 80 (7) $ 38.36 $ 79,780
Employment Services 80 (7) $ 38.05 $ 79,150
Waste Treatment and Disposal (8) (8) $ 36.96 $ 76,870


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:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 70 0.00 0.10 $ 50.84 $ 105,750
Massachusetts (8) (8) (8) $ 48.60 $ 101,090
New York 170 0.02 0.44 $ 47.25 $ 98,280
Michigan 140 0.03 0.78 $ 46.55 $ 96,820
Florida 180 0.02 0.48 $ 46.30 $ 96,300





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 area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.36 8.19 $ 38.18 $ 79,410

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nuclear Technicians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.36 8.19 $ 38.18 $ 79,410

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Nuclear Technicians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.36 8.19 $ 38.18 $ 79,410


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