The average salary for a nuclear engineer in Virginia is around $128,890 per year.
Avg Salary
Nuclear engineers earn an average yearly salary of $128,890.
Wages typically start from $81,480 and go up to $192,350.
77% above national average Updated in 2025
Nuclear engineer earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$92.48 per hour
$192,350 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$78.85 per hour
$164,010 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$61.97 per hour
$128,890 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$47.56 per hour
$98,920 per year
10th percentile
Starting level nuclear engineer earnings begin at:
$39.17 per hour
$81,480 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 Virginia. On average, they make less than biochemical engineers but more than biomedical engineers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Biochemical engineer salary | $148K |
| Robotics engineer salary | $148K |
| Photonics engineer salary | $148K |
| Computer hardware engineer salary | $139K |
| Chemical engineer salary | $136K |
| Nuclear engineer salary | $129K |
| Operations research analyst salary | $129K |
| Engineer salary | $120K |
| Electrical engineer salary | $119K |
| Biomedical engineer salary | $106K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)