Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · CBSA 16980
Nuclear Engineer Salary in Chicago
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for nuclear engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Illinois and the national benchmark.
Nuclear Engineers in Chicago earn a median of $130,160 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $102,560–$159,420; the top 10% earn $174,080. That is 2% above the national median and level with the Illinois median. BLS reports 750 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$130,160
+2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$174,080
90th percentile
Employed in metro
750
Reliability High (2.9% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay — Chicago vs Illinois vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $102,500 | +16% |
| 25th percentile | $102,560 | — |
| Median50th percentile | $130,160 | +2% |
| 75th percentile | $159,420 | +1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $174,080 | -7% |
| Meanaverage | $136,170 | +1% |
How concentrated nuclear engineers are in Chicago
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.74
Jobs per 1,000
0.17
Metro rank (pay)
#14 of 24
All engineering roles
$118,040
At a location quotient of 1.74, Chicago is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.7× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nuclear engineer make in Chicago?
Does Chicago pay more than the rest of Illinois?
Where does Chicago rank nationally for nuclear engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2161 (Nuclear Engineers), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →