Washington · SOC 17-2161
Nuclear Engineer Salary in Washington
VerifiedPublished wages for nuclear engineers in Washington, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Nuclear Engineers in Washington earn a median of $125,130 per year ($130,790 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $107,100–$146,660; the top 10% earn $183,120. That is 2% below the national median of $127,520, ranking Washington #18 of 24 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$125,130
-2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$183,120
90th percentile
Employed in state
1,370
Reliability Moderate (13.9% RSE)
Nuclear Engineer pay distribution — Washington 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 | $81,220 | -8% |
| 25th percentile | $107,100 | +4% |
| Median50th percentile | $125,130 | -2% |
| 75th percentile | $146,660 | -7% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $183,120 | -2% |
| Meanaverage | $130,790 | -3% |
Where nuclear engineers earn most in Washington
Metro areas in Washington where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2161. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| KennewickKennewick-Richland, WA | $150,950 | $225,440 | 220 |
| SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $135,870 | $199,060 | — |
Washington engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
4.05
Jobs per 1,000
0.39
State rank (pay)
#18 of 24
All engineering roles
$150,511
A location quotient of 4.05 means Washington 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), Washington (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →