District of Columbia · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in District of Columbia
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in District of Columbia, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in District of Columbia earn a median of $189,800 per year ($179,510 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $166,400–$197,020; the top 10% earn $203,990. That is 49% above the national median of $127,520, ranking District of Columbia #1 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$189,800
+49% vs national
Top 10% earn
$203,990
90th percentile
Employed in state
240
Reliability Good (8.6% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — District of Columbia 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 | $141,810 | +61% |
| 25th percentile | $166,400 | +62% |
| Median50th percentile | $189,800 | +49% |
| 75th percentile | $197,020 | +25% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $203,990 | +9% |
| Meanaverage | $179,510 | +33% |
Where nuclear engineers earn most in District of Columbia
Metro areas in District of Columbia where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2161. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $189,770 | $203,990 | 300 |
District of Columbia engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
3.50
Jobs per 1,000
0.33
State rank (pay)
#1 of 24
All engineering roles
$138,532
A location quotient of 3.50 means District of Columbia employs nuclear engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nuclear engineer make in District of Columbia?
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2161 (Nuclear Engineers), District of Columbia (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →