South Carolina · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in South Carolina
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in South Carolina, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina earn a median of $107,880 per year ($118,630 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $101,350–$134,320; the top 10% earn $154,220. That is 15% below the national median of $127,520, ranking South Carolina #22 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$107,880
-15% vs national
Top 10% earn
$154,220
90th percentile
Employed in state
1,280
Reliability High (3.5% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — South Carolina 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 | $81,260 | -8% |
| 25th percentile | $101,350 | -2% |
| Median50th percentile | $107,880 | -15% |
| 75th percentile | $134,320 | -15% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $154,220 | -18% |
| Meanaverage | $118,630 | -12% |
Where nuclear engineers earn most in South Carolina
Metro areas in South Carolina where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2161. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlotteCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $128,150 | $172,430 | 260 |
| ColumbiaColumbia, SC | $117,840 | $153,700 | 80 |
| CharlestonCharleston-North Charleston, SC | $111,580 | $136,760 | 140 |
South Carolina engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
5.89
Jobs per 1,000
0.56
State rank (pay)
#22 of 24
All engineering roles
$104,836
A location quotient of 5.89 means South Carolina 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), South Carolina (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →