Best states for a nuclear engineer

Q: What is the best state for nuclear engineers?

The best state to be a nuclear engineer is District of Columbia based on nuclear engineer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for nuclear engineers?

The highest paying state for nuclear engineers is Virginia based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for nuclear engineers?

The worst state for nuclear engineers is Minnesota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and architecture and engineering careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to nuclear engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for nuclear engineers.Our research found that District of Columbia is the best state for nuclear engineers, while Nevada and Idaho are ranked highest in terms of median salary. District of Columbia has a median salary of $125,005 and Nevada has the highest median salary among all 50 states for nuclear engineers.

District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for nuclear engineers, and Minnesota is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $125,005, while the median pay in Minnesota is $87,525.If you are currently seeking employment as a nuclear engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for nuclear engineers in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 175
Average annual salary: $125,005
Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000
Location Quotient:
3.17
Nuclear engineer jobs in District of Columbia
2. Delaware
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 76
Average annual salary: $109,814
Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000
Location Quotient:
1.84
Nuclear engineer jobs in Delaware
3. Nevada
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 57
Average annual salary: $124,641
Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Nuclear engineer jobs in Nevada
4. Idaho
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 47
Average annual salary: $117,473
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Nuclear engineer jobs in Idaho
5. Maryland
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 358
Average annual salary: $117,335
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000
Location Quotient:
1.72
Nuclear engineer jobs in Maryland
6. Utah
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 183
Average annual salary: $107,344
Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000
Location Quotient:
1.74
Nuclear engineer jobs in Utah
7. Rhode Island
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 33
Average annual salary: $108,230
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Nuclear engineer jobs in Rhode Island
8. West Virginia
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 33
Average annual salary: $109,009
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000
Location Quotient:
0.66
Nuclear engineer jobs in West Virginia
9. New Mexico
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 74
Average annual salary: $104,129
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Nuclear engineer jobs in New Mexico
10. New Hampshire
Total nuclear engineer jobs: 54
Average annual salary: $105,918
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Nuclear engineer jobs in New Hampshire

Nuclear engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a nuclear engineer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a nuclear engineer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$125,005	$87,000	693,972	175
2	Delaware	$109,814	$76,000	961,939	76
3	Nevada	$124,641	$86,000	2,998,039	57
4	Idaho	$117,473	$82,000	1,716,943	47
5	Maryland	$117,335	$81,000	6,052,177	358
6	Utah	$107,344	$74,000	3,101,833	183
7	Rhode Island	$108,230	$75,000	1,059,639	33
8	West Virginia	$109,009	$75,000	1,815,857	33
9	New Mexico	$104,129	$72,000	2,088,070	74
10	New Hampshire	$105,918	$73,000	1,342,795	54
11	Alaska	$108,015	$80,000	739,795	32
12	California	$108,530	$75,000	39,536,653	1,438
13	Ohio	$107,867	$75,000	11,658,609	207
14	Indiana	$104,904	$73,000	6,666,818	163
15	Vermont	$102,318	$70,000	623,657	37
16	Connecticut	$108,682	$75,000	3,588,184	82
17	Louisiana	$105,058	$69,000	4,684,333	73
18	Wisconsin	$104,858	$75,000	5,795,483	105
19	Kentucky	$104,638	$72,000	4,454,189	60
20	North Dakota	$98,659	$71,000	755,393	28
21	South Carolina	$100,515	$66,000	5,024,369	103
22	Kansas	$102,009	$71,000	2,913,123	46
23	Colorado	$98,365	$68,000	5,607,154	268
24	Mississippi	$100,516	$67,000	2,984,100	37
25	Illinois	$99,467	$70,000	12,802,023	351
26	Washington	$97,906	$69,000	7,405,743	364
27	Iowa	$98,757	$70,000	3,145,711	70
28	Montana	$99,242	$70,000	1,050,493	30
29	Alabama	$92,861	$61,000	4,874,747	139
30	New Jersey	$101,562	$70,000	9,005,644	201
31	Nebraska	$93,400	$66,000	1,920,076	75
32	Arkansas	$93,713	$64,000	3,004,279	69
33	New York	$95,967	$66,000	19,849,399	434
34	South Dakota	$93,715	$67,000	869,666	27
35	Florida	$93,280	$58,000	20,984,400	456
36	Oklahoma	$95,116	$65,000	3,930,864	65
37	Maine	$94,106	$64,000	1,335,907	35
38	Pennsylvania	$94,792	$66,000	12,805,537	223
39	Oregon	$91,507	$64,000	4,142,776	194
40	Texas	$89,777	$60,000	28,304,596	640
41	Massachusetts	$93,133	$64,000	6,859,819	304
42	Arizona	$87,979	$61,000	7,016,270	205
43	Wyoming	$83,188	$58,000	579,315	30
44	Michigan	$88,048	$62,000	9,962,311	214
45	Virginia	$78,316	$54,000	8,470,020	606
46	Missouri	$93,681	$65,000	6,113,532	101
47	Georgia	$89,774	$59,000	10,429,379	246
48	Hawaii	$80,974	$59,000	1,427,538	32
49	North Carolina	$84,534	$57,000	10,273,419	263
50	Tennessee	$86,913	$59,000	6,715,984	95
51	Minnesota	$87,525	$63,000	5,576,606	151

Highest paying states for nuclear engineers

Rank	State	Avg. Nuclear Engineer Salary
1	District of Columbia	$125,005
2	Delaware	$109,814
3	Nevada	$124,641
4	Idaho	$117,473
5	Maryland	$117,335
6	Utah	$107,344
7	Rhode Island	$108,230
8	West Virginia	$109,009
9	New Mexico	$104,129
10	New Hampshire	$105,918
11	Alaska	$108,015
12	California	$108,530
13	Ohio	$107,867
14	Indiana	$104,904
15	Vermont	$102,318
16	Connecticut	$108,682
17	Louisiana	$105,058
18	Wisconsin	$104,858
19	Kentucky	$104,638
20	North Dakota	$98,659
21	South Carolina	$100,515
22	Kansas	$102,009
23	Colorado	$98,365
24	Mississippi	$100,516
25	Illinois	$99,467
26	Washington	$97,906
27	Iowa	$98,757
28	Montana	$99,242
29	Alabama	$92,861
30	New Jersey	$101,562
31	Nebraska	$93,400
32	Arkansas	$93,713
33	New York	$95,967
34	South Dakota	$93,715
35	Florida	$93,280
36	Oklahoma	$95,116
37	Maine	$94,106
38	Pennsylvania	$94,792
39	Oregon	$91,507
40	Texas	$89,777
41	Massachusetts	$93,133
42	Arizona	$87,979
43	Wyoming	$83,188
44	Michigan	$88,048
45	Virginia	$78,316
46	Missouri	$93,681
47	Georgia	$89,774
48	Hawaii	$80,974
49	North Carolina	$84,534
50	Tennessee	$86,913
51	Minnesota	$87,525

Expert opinions on the best states for nuclear engineers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for nuclear engineers to find work opportunities?
Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.
President of the American Nuclear Society (2020-2021) Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering Idaho State University, American Nuclear Society
Nuclear engineers develop skills that are not just needed within the nuclear power industry but across a wide spectrum of industries, federal agencies, medical facilities, and education. Thus, there is a demand for nuclear engineers across all 50 states and globally.

Nuclear engineer best states FAQs

What is the best state for nuclear engineers?

What is the highest paying state for nuclear engineers?

What is the worst state for nuclear engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for nuclear engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs

Total nuclear engineer jobs:	175
Average annual salary:	$125,005
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$87,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$179,000
Location Quotient:	3.17

Best states for a nuclear engineer

10 best states for nuclear engineers in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. Delaware

3. Nevada

4. Idaho

5. Maryland

6. Utah

7. Rhode Island

8. West Virginia

9. New Mexico

10. New Hampshire