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 2018

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
6,280 6.4 % $45.82 $95,310 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $32.79 $38.60 $45.36 $53.40 $61.24
Annual Wage (2) $68,200 $80,290 $94,350 $111,070 $127,370


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 5,050 1.28 $46.17 $96,020
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $49.89 $103,770
Scientific Research and Development Services 310 0.05 $43.57 $90,630
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 110 0.00 $43.28 $90,030
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 60 0.00 $31.69 $65,900

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 5,050 1.28 $46.17 $96,020
Scientific Research and Development Services 310 0.05 $43.57 $90,630
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $49.89 $103,770
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 110 0.00 $43.28 $90,030
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 60 0.00 $31.69 $65,900

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $49.89 $103,770
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 5,050 1.28 $46.17 $96,020
Scientific Research and Development Services 310 0.05 $43.57 $90,630
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 110 (7) $43.28 $90,030
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 60 (7) $31.69 $65,900


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Carolina 560 0.27 6.25 $38.70 $80,490
Tennessee 470 0.16 3.62 $43.36 $90,190
North Carolina 370 0.08 1.95 $48.81 $101,520
Pennsylvania 340 0.06 1.35 $51.38 $106,870
Illinois 220 0.04 0.85 $41.99 $87,340




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Carolina 560 0.27 6.25 $38.70 $80,490
Tennessee 470 0.16 3.62 $43.36 $90,190
Mississippi 110 0.10 2.23 $46.65 $97,040
North Carolina 370 0.08 1.95 $48.81 $101,520
Pennsylvania 340 0.06 1.35 $51.38 $106,870




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pennsylvania 340 0.06 1.35 $51.38 $106,870
North Carolina 370 0.08 1.95 $48.81 $101,520
Mississippi 110 0.10 2.23 $46.65 $97,040
Tennessee 470 0.16 3.62 $43.36 $90,190
Illinois 220 0.04 0.85 $41.99 $87,340





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 0.90 $47.78 $99,390




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 0.90 $47.78 $99,390




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 0.90 $47.78 $99,390

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 40 0.29 6.76 $45.56 $94,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 40 0.29 6.76 $45.56 $94,770

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 40 0.29 6.76 $45.56 $94,770


About May 2018 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.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019