California · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in California
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in California, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in California earn a median of $167,660 per year ($170,560 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $165,900–$187,430; the top 10% earn $201,910. That is 31% above the national median of $127,520, ranking California #2 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$167,660
+31% vs national
Top 10% earn
$201,910
90th percentile
Employed in state
870
Reliability High (1.1% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — California vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $132,510 | +50% |
| 25th percentile | $165,900 | +61% |
| Median50th percentile | $167,660 | +31% |
| 75th percentile | $187,430 | +19% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $201,910 | +8% |
| Meanaverage | $170,560 | +26% |
California engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
0.50
Jobs per 1,000
0.05
State rank (pay)
#2 of 24
All engineering roles
$154,208
A location quotient of 0.50 means nuclear engineers are less concentrated here than the national average, so openings are thinner even where pay is competitive.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2161 (Nuclear Engineers), California (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →