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Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina

Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina

Thinking about a career as a Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina? Here’s what you need to know. Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.

What do Nuclear Engineers Make in South Carolina?

For a nuclear engineers working in South Carolina, the typical annual salary is $107,880 per year (or about $51.86/hour).Pay can range from $81,260 at the 10th percentile to $154,220 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $81,260 $39.07
25th percentile $101,350 $48.73
Median (50th) $107,880 $51.86
75th percentile $134,320 $64.58
90th percentile $154,220 $74.14
Salary ranges for Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in South Carolina nationwide is 5.89, meaning that nuclear engineers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, nuclear engineers earn a median of $134,531 per year ($64.68/hour), below the South Carolina median.

Nuclear Engineers earnings in South Carolina vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

National employment for 78,654 nuclear engineers across the United States. In South Carolina alone, about 1,280 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 350 nuclear engineers.

Nuclear Engineers in South Carolina vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Nuclear Engineers

Top South Carolina Metros for Nuclear Engineers

The metro areas below employ the most nuclear engineers in South Carolina.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 140 $111,580
Columbia, SC 80 $117,840

Top States for Nuclear Engineers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most nuclear engineers work.

State Number Employed
Texas 1,470
Washington 1,370
Virginia 1,300
South Carolina 1,280
New Mexico 1,160
Illinois 950
California 870
Idaho 720
North Carolina 520
Pennsylvania 480
Tennessee 480
Maine 350
Alabama 270
District of Columbia 240
Minnesota 190
Michigan 180
New York 160
Maryland 140
Florida 140
Georgia 140

Highest-Paying States for Nuclear Engineers

Where nuclear engineers earn the most: nuclear engineers.

State Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia $189,800
California $167,660
New York $159,290
Maryland $150,340
Minnesota $150,260
Nebraska $149,280
Alabama $144,410
Massachusetts $141,520
New Mexico $140,070
Michigan $137,890

Skills

Key nuclear engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Critical Thinking  4.1 / 5
0
5
Science  4.1 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  4.0 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  4.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Engineering and Technology  4.6 / 5
0
5
Physics  4.5 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  4.4 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.0 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  4.0 / 5
0
5
Chemistry  3.9 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for nuclear engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Problem Sensitivity  4.6 / 5
0
5
Written Expression  4.1 / 5
0
5
Category Flexibility  4.0 / 5
0
5
Information Ordering  4.0 / 5
0
5
Inductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, nuclear engineers typically:

  • Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
  • Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
  • Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
  • Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
  • Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
  • Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
  • Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
  • Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
  • Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
  • Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
  • Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
  • Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize performance of existing plants.

Work Activities

  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
  • Working with Computers
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Getting Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Processing Information
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Documenting/Recording Information

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: C++, Linux In-demand technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

  • Nuclear Engineering

Related occupations to nuclear engineers include:

Also Known As

Atomic Process Engineer, Core Measures Abstractor, Engineer, Engineering Officer, Instrumentation and Controls Engineer, Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer, Nuclear Design Engineer, Nuclear Electrician, Nuclear Engineer, Nuclear Equipment Design Engineer, Nuclear Equipment Research Engineer, Nuclear Equipment Test Engineer, Nuclear Fuels Reclamation Engineer, Nuclear Fuels Research Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer.

References

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