Nuclear engineers work across a surprisingly broad range of industries, from commercial power plants to naval shipyards to national laboratories. The three largest employers in the U.S. are the electric power sector (about 4,650 nuclear engineers), the federal government (about 2,600), and scientific research and development organizations (about 2,210), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2023. The work settings, daily responsibilities, and pay vary significantly depending on which path you choose.
Commercial Nuclear Power Plants
The single largest employer of nuclear engineers is the electric power industry. Each commercial nuclear power plant employs between 500 and 800 workers total, and nuclear engineers fill key roles in reactor operations, safety analysis, fuel management, and radiation protection. Day-to-day work at a plant typically involves monitoring reactor performance, analyzing safety data, planning fuel cycles, and ensuring the facility meets regulatory requirements. The mean annual salary for nuclear engineers in electric power generation sits around $125,140.
These jobs are concentrated in states with operating reactors, which means you’ll find clusters of employment in the Southeast, the Midwest, and along the East Coast. If you’re drawn to hands-on, operational engineering rather than pure research, a power plant role puts you closest to the technology itself.
The U.S. Navy and Defense
The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program is one of the most established pipelines for nuclear engineering careers. The program employs nearly 8,000 engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff who design, build, operate, and maintain nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Two private shipyards build all U.S. nuclear-powered ships, while four public shipyards handle overhauls, repairs, refueling, and decommissioning.
What makes naval nuclear work distinctive is its scope. The program has what it calls “cradle-to-grave” responsibility for every aspect of naval nuclear propulsion: design, procurement, operations, maintenance, training, and logistics. Engineers set standards and specifications for all work across laboratories, prototype reactors, shipyards, and contractor sites. A headquarters staff of nuclear technology experts makes all major technical decisions, while onsite representatives monitor the work as it happens. Fleet maintenance teams also operate from deployed support ships and major naval bases, performing repairs outside of scheduled shipyard periods.
For engineers entering through the military, this path often starts with the Navy’s Nuclear Officer program. Civilian roles are also available through the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, which is government-owned but contractor-operated.
National Laboratories and Research
The Department of Energy oversees 17 national laboratories, several of which focus heavily on nuclear science and engineering. Three labs fall under the National Nuclear Security Administration: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. These facilities work on nuclear security, weapons stewardship, and advanced nuclear research using instruments and equipment found nowhere else in the world.
Research roles at national labs can look very different from power plant work. At Los Alamos, for example, nuclear engineers contribute to isotope production for medical, industrial, and research applications. The lab’s Isotope Production Facility uses a 100 MeV proton bombardment station for both large-scale production runs and delicate experimental work, and maintains hot cell facilities for processing radioactive materials. Los Alamos has produced medical isotopes for diagnostic imaging for more than 30 years, and its researchers now work on isotopes used in cancer treatment, including actinium-225 for targeted alpha therapy. The mean salary for nuclear engineers in scientific research and development is about $129,690, the highest among the major employment sectors.
Federal Regulatory Agencies
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the primary federal body that licenses and oversees commercial nuclear facilities, and it employs nuclear engineers as inspectors, safety reviewers, and policy analysts. The Department of Energy also hires nuclear engineers for program management, environmental cleanup, and policy roles. The Department of Defense, particularly through the Department of the Navy, posts nuclear engineering positions on federal job boards as well.
Government roles tend to pay somewhat less than private industry. The mean salary for nuclear engineers in government is around $115,750. The tradeoff is typically stronger job stability, federal benefits, and the chance to shape the regulatory framework the entire industry operates within.
Universities and Research Reactors
About 25 U.S. universities operate research reactors, and faculty positions in nuclear engineering combine teaching, research, and hands-on reactor work. A tenure-track professor at a school like UMass Lowell, which operates a 1-megawatt research reactor, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses while running research programs in areas like fission and fusion energy systems, radiological sciences, or medical physics. Salaries for tenure-track faculty range from roughly $75,000 at the assistant professor level up to $233,000 for senior professors, depending on rank and qualifications.
University roles increasingly emphasize interdisciplinary work. Job postings call for researchers who can integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into nuclear engineering, or who bridge nuclear science with applied physics, chemical engineering, or medical physics. A PhD is required, and a strong research record is expected even at the entry level.
Consulting and Decommissioning Firms
A growing segment of private-sector nuclear engineering work happens at consulting and engineering services firms. Companies like Sargent & Lundy, Burns & McDonnell, Jacobs, and WSP provide engineering support for active plants, but they also handle decommissioning projects as aging reactors are permanently shut down. Decommissioning involves safely dismantling reactor systems, managing radioactive waste, and restoring sites for other uses. It’s a process that can span decades for a single facility.
Nuclear waste management is another consulting niche. Engineers in this space work on storage solutions for spent fuel, transport logistics, and environmental remediation at former nuclear sites. These roles often involve travel between project locations rather than a fixed office or plant setting.
Medical and Industrial Applications
Nuclear engineers also work in the medical technology sector, where their expertise supports the production of radioactive isotopes used in diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans, for instance, rely on isotopes like sodium-22. Targeted cancer therapies use isotopes like actinium-225, which delivers radiation directly to tumor cells. This work happens at national labs, at dedicated isotope production facilities, and at private companies that manufacture radiopharmaceuticals.
Industrial applications include nondestructive testing (using radiation to inspect welds and structural materials), food irradiation, and the development of compact nuclear power sources for remote or space applications. NASA and its contractors hire nuclear engineers to work on radioisotope power systems for deep-space missions, where solar panels aren’t practical.
What Shapes Where You End Up
Your work setting as a nuclear engineer depends heavily on your degree level and specialization. A bachelor’s degree qualifies you for most power plant and shipyard positions. Research roles at national labs and universities typically require a master’s or PhD. Government regulatory positions often require a combination of education and relevant experience, and many NRC inspectors come from Navy nuclear backgrounds.
Geography matters too. Nuclear engineering jobs cluster around operating reactors, naval bases, national laboratory campuses, and the Washington, D.C. area where federal agencies and their contractors are headquartered. If flexibility on location is a constraint, consulting firms offer the widest geographic spread, since they send engineers wherever projects are happening.