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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
4,820 1.1 % $ 53.47 $ 111,220 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 38.33 $ 47.30 $ 50.13 $ 61.03 $ 63.92
Annual Wage (2) $ 79,720 $ 98,390 $ 104,260 $ 126,950 $ 132,960


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 3,950 1.05 $ 54.31 $ 112,950
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 510 0.02 $ 53.00 $ 110,240
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 120 0.00 $ 46.93 $ 97,610

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 3,950 1.05 $ 54.31 $ 112,950
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 510 0.02 $ 53.00 $ 110,240
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 120 0.00 $ 46.93 $ 97,610

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 3,950 1.05 $ 54.31 $ 112,950
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 510 0.02 $ 53.00 $ 110,240
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 120 (7) $ 46.93 $ 97,610
Waste Treatment and Disposal (8) (8) $ 31.14 $ 64,780


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 2021


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)
Alabama 360 0.19 5.50 $ 54.30 $ 112,930
Illinois 340 0.06 1.79 $ 57.52 $ 119,640
Tennessee 340 0.11 3.29 $ 49.95 $ 103,900
Georgia 310 0.07 2.06 $ 60.21 $ 125,240
New York 250 0.03 0.84 $ 56.58 $ 117,680


Map of location quotient of nuclear power reactor operators by state, May 2021


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 360 0.19 5.50 $ 54.30 $ 112,930
Tennessee 340 0.11 3.29 $ 49.95 $ 103,900
Louisiana 180 0.10 2.88 $ 48.00 $ 99,830
Nebraska 90 0.09 2.67 $ 44.03 $ 91,590
Georgia 310 0.07 2.06 $ 60.21 $ 125,240


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear power reactor operators by state, May 2021


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)
Georgia 310 0.07 2.06 $ 60.21 $ 125,240
Michigan 160 0.04 1.16 $ 57.58 $ 119,770
Illinois 340 0.06 1.79 $ 57.52 $ 119,640
New York 250 0.03 0.84 $ 56.58 $ 117,680
Ohio 70 0.01 0.41 $ 56.25 $ 117,000



Map of employment of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2021


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)
Monroe, MI 60 1.76 51.56 $ 49.55 $ 103,070


Map of location quotient of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2021


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)
Monroe, MI 60 1.76 51.56 $ 49.55 $ 103,070


Map of annual mean wages of nuclear power reactor operators by area, May 2021


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)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (8) (8) (8) $ 53.58 $ 111,440
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (8) (8) (8) $ 53.24 $ 110,750
Raleigh, NC (8) (8) (8) $ 51.97 $ 108,100
Monroe, MI 60 1.76 51.56 $ 49.55 $ 103,070

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 180 1.41 41.21 $ 58.54 $ 121,770

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 180 1.41 41.21 $ 58.54 $ 121,770

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 180 1.41 41.21 $ 58.54 $ 121,770


About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022