Virginia · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in Virginia
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in Virginia, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in Virginia earn a median of $108,740 per year ($112,970 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $94,850–$125,820; the top 10% earn $147,430. That is 15% below the national median of $127,520, ranking Virginia #21 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$108,740
-15% vs national
Top 10% earn
$147,430
90th percentile
Employed in state
1,300
Reliability High (3.8% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — Virginia 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 | $79,190 | -10% |
| 25th percentile | $94,850 | -8% |
| Median50th percentile | $108,740 | -15% |
| 75th percentile | $125,820 | -20% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $147,430 | -21% |
| Meanaverage | $112,970 | -16% |
Where nuclear engineers earn most in Virginia
Metro areas in Virginia 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 |
| LynchburgLynchburg, VA | $129,690 | $167,270 | 80 |
Virginia engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
3.35
Jobs per 1,000
0.32
State rank (pay)
#21 of 24
All engineering roles
$126,416
A location quotient of 3.35 means Virginia 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), Virginia (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →