The average salary for a nuclear engineer in California is around $172,400 per year.
Avg Salary
Nuclear engineers earn an average yearly salary of $172,400.
Wages typically start from $109,990 and go up to $207,740.
98% above national average Updated in 2025
Nuclear engineer earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$99.87 per hour
$207,740 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$84.81 per hour
$176,390 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$82.88 per hour
$172,400 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$65.09 per hour
$135,400 per year
10th percentile
Starting level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$52.88 per hour
$109,990 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Nuclear engineer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | $98,270 |
| Missouri | $93,950 |
| Utah | $80,070 |
| Louisiana | $77,950 |
| Kentucky | $198,900 |
| District of Columbia | $195,190 |
| California | $172,400 |
| New Mexico | $164,300 |
| Maryland | $157,960 |
| Arizona | $152,270 |
| Oregon | $148,830 |
| Massachusetts | $145,760 |
| New York | $141,200 |
| Florida | $135,400 |
| Illinois | $134,510 |
| Idaho | $133,970 |
| Pennsylvania | $133,250 |
| Alabama | $132,570 |
| Georgia | $132,440 |
| North Carolina | $131,850 |
| New Jersey | $131,590 |
| Michigan | $129,940 |
| Washington | $129,480 |
| Virginia | $128,890 |
| Texas | $128,340 |
| New Hampshire | $128,020 |
| South Carolina | $126,570 |
| Tennessee | $126,280 |
| Kansas | $124,710 |
| Maine | $123,780 |
| Ohio | $122,920 |
| Nebraska | $120,650 |
| Connecticut | $117,350 |
| Arkansas | $107,580 |
| Wisconsin | $104,760 |
How do nuclear engineer salaries compare to similar careers?
Nuclear engineers earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than software engineers but more than sales engineers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Software engineer salary | $174K |
| Nuclear engineer salary | $172K |
| Aerospace engineer salary | $158K |
| Electrical engineer salary | $144K |
| Petroleum engineer salary | $144K |
| Sales engineer salary | $139K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)