Nuclear plant operator vs senior reactor operator

The differences between nuclear plant operators and senior reactor 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 senior reactor operator. Additionally, a senior reactor operator has an average salary of $64,712, 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 senior reactor operator are NRC, outage, and plant operations.

Nuclear plant operator vs senior reactor operator overview

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Yearly salary	$46,061	$64,712
Hourly rate	$22.14	$31.11
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	37,238	28,429
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Nuclear plant operator vs senior reactor operator salary

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

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Average salary	$46,061	$64,712
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $64,000	Between $37,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between nuclear plant operator and senior reactor operator education

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

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Nuclear And Industrial Radiologic Technologies	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Georgia Institute of Technology

Nuclear plant operator vs senior reactor operator demographics

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

	Nuclear Plant Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%
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, 5.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between nuclear plant operator and senior reactor 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.

Senior reactor operator example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Lead compression shift of twenty-one operators and supporting staff in daily operations of manufacturing generic prescription medications in a GMP setting.
Authore multiple watch station examinations and PowerPoint presentations.

Nuclear plant operator vs senior reactor 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 senior reactor operator skills

NRC, 17%
Outage, 14%
Plant Operations, 11%
Fluid Flow, 9%
License Class, 8%
Federal Regulations, 8%

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Nuclear Plant Operator
Nuclear Plant Operator vs Senior Reactor Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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