Nuclear plant operator vs nuclear operator

The differences between nuclear plant operators and nuclear operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a nuclear plant operator and a nuclear operator. Additionally, a nuclear operator has an average salary of $51,893, which is higher than the $46,061 average annual salary of a nuclear plant operator.

The top three skills for a nuclear plant operator include plant procedures, control room and nuclear reactor. The most important skills for a nuclear operator are electrical equipment, prototype, and electrical systems.

Nuclear plant operator vs nuclear operator overview

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Nuclear Operator
Yearly salary	$46,061	$51,893
Hourly rate	$22.14	$24.95
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	37,238	32,513
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Nuclear plant operator vs nuclear operator salary

Nuclear plant operators and nuclear operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Nuclear Operator
Average salary	$46,061	$51,893
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $64,000	Between $33,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between nuclear plant operator and nuclear operator education

There are a few differences between a nuclear plant operator and a nuclear operator in terms of educational background:

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Nuclear Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Nuclear And Industrial Radiologic Technologies	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Nuclear plant operator vs nuclear operator demographics

Here are the differences between nuclear plant operators' and nuclear operators' demographics:

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Nuclear Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%	Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 1.5% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between nuclear plant operator and nuclear operator duties and responsibilities

Nuclear plant operator example responsibilities.

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Specialize in building distillation units used for distilling hazardous chemicals.

Nuclear operator example responsibilities.

Manage and direct the development of the sector AOP and of proper controls to ensure program/project spending meets sector expectations.
Used schematics, wiring diagrams, and specialize test equipment to troubleshoot and locate faults down to the component level.
Serve as ship's HVAC technician for (4) 150 ton marine A/C units for 3 years.
Serve in engineering department on fast attack submarine USS Omaha
Train in QA methods and procedures to perform maintenance.
Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the reactor and all associate reactor protection circuitry.

Nuclear plant operator vs nuclear operator skills

Common nuclear plant operator skills

Plant Procedures, 12%
Control Room, 10%
Nuclear Reactor, 9%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Nuclear Power, 5%
Radiological, 5%

Common nuclear operator skills

Electrical Equipment, 18%
Prototype, 15%
Electrical Systems, 14%
Radiological, 13%
Test Equipment, 13%
Naval Nuclear, 7%

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Nuclear Plant Operator
Nuclear Plant Operator vs Nuclear Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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