Illinois · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in Illinois
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in Illinois, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in Illinois earn a median of $130,160 per year ($134,910 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $104,520–$159,420; the top 10% earn $165,520. That is 2% above the national median of $127,520, ranking Illinois #13 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$130,160
+2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$165,520
90th percentile
Employed in state
950
Reliability Good (5.5% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — Illinois 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 | $101,890 | +15% |
| 25th percentile | $104,520 | +1% |
| Median50th percentile | $130,160 | +2% |
| 75th percentile | $159,420 | +1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $165,520 | -12% |
| Meanaverage | $134,910 | — |
Where nuclear engineers earn most in Illinois
Metro areas in Illinois where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2161. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChicagoChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $130,160 | $174,080 | 750 |
Illinois engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.65
Jobs per 1,000
0.16
State rank (pay)
#13 of 24
All engineering roles
$114,895
A location quotient of 1.65 means Illinois employs nuclear engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2161 (Nuclear Engineers), Illinois (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →