Nuclear Design Engineer Salary
$129.5K - $137K
21% of jobs
$137K - $144.5K
0% of jobs
$144.5K - $152K
0% of jobs
$152K - $159.5K
0% of jobs
$159.5K - $167K
0% of jobs
$170K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$167K - $174.5K
10% of jobs
The median wage is $181.3K / yr.
$174.5K - $182K
21% of jobs
$182K - $189.5K
21% of jobs
$191.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$189.5K - $197K
8% of jobs
$197K - $204.5K
12% of jobs
$204.5K - $212K
8% of jobs
$129.5K
$181.5K
$211K
$177,000
/year
$85.10
/hour
Nuclear Design Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$177,000
Columbus
Ohio
$170,964
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How much does a Nuclear Design Engineer make?
As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Nuclear Design Engineer in the United States is $177,000 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $85.10 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,403/week or $14,750/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $211,000 and as low as $129,500, the majority of Nuclear Design Engineer salaries currently range between $172,000 (25th percentile) to $195,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $206,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Nuclear Design Engineer varies little (about 23000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Nuclear Design Engineer in your area makes on average $170,964 per year, or $6,036 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $177,000. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Nuclear Design Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Nuclear Design Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Nuclear Design Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Nuclear Design Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Nuclear Design Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palmdale, CA, , with Surry, VA, and Two Rivers, WI, close behind in the second and third positions. Two Rivers, WI, beats the national average by $61,835 (34.9%), and Palmdale, CA, furthers that trend with another $86,649 (49.0%) above the $177,000 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Nuclear Design Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 24% between Palmdale, CA, and Daly City, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Nuclear Design Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Palmdale, CA | $263,649 | $126.75 |
Surry, VA | $254,566 | $122.39 |
Two Rivers, WI | $238,835 | $114.82 |
Sitka, AK | $213,228 | $102.51 |
San Francisco, CA | $208,536 | $100.26 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $207,736 | $99.87 |
Livermore, CA | $207,618 | $99.82 |
San Jose, CA | $207,256 | $99.64 |
Santa Clara, CA | $206,261 | $99.16 |
Daly City, CA | $205,088 | $98.60 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Nuclear Design Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Nuclear Design Engineer job category, we found that Oral Radiologist jobs have average salaries greater than Nuclear Design Engineer jobs.
Significantly, Oral Radiologist jobs pay $167,970 (94.9%) more than the average Nuclear Design Engineer salary of $177,000. If you're qualified, finding work as a Oral Radiologist may help you make more money than that of the average Nuclear Design Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Oral Radiologist | $344,970 | $165.85 |
Propulsion Test Engineer | $134,885 | $64.85 |
Radiological Engineer | $129,765 | $62.39 |
Mechanical Energy Engineer | $101,250 | $48.68 |
Senior Reactor Operator | $80,287 | $38.60 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
