Nuclear Technicians
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Overview
Assist nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, or other scientists in laboratory, power generation, or electricity production activities. May operate, maintain, or provide quality control for nuclear testing and research equipment. May monitor radiation.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
TechnicianOperatorNuclearRadiationProtectionSpecialistControlEquipmentLicensedSystemsNonNLOPlantAcceleratorAuxiliaryCellOperationFacilitiesGammaHealthPhysicsChemistryFuelOperationsWorkerReactorResearchMonitorSeniorCathodicSupportChemicalDecontaminatorElectricEnergyInstructorHPTechHotInstrumentationLaboratoryMetallographicNEOEnrichmentProcessingMonitoringNAPEOPowerProcessStationDevelopmentRadconRPRPTRadiochemicalRadioisotopeProductionTest
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Responsibilities and activities

Nuclear technicians typically do the following:

  • Monitor the performance of equipment used in nuclear experiments and power generation
  • Measure the levels and types of radiation produced by nuclear experiments, power generation, and other activities
  • Collect samples of air, water, and soil, and test for radioactive contamination
  • Instruct personnel on radiation safety procedures and warn them of hazardous conditions
  • Operate and maintain radiation monitoring equipment

Job duties and titles of nuclear technicians often depend on where they work and what purpose the facility serves. Most nuclear technicians work in nuclear power plants, where they ensure that reactors and other equipment are operated safely and efficiently. The following are types of nuclear technicians who work in the power generation industry:

Operating technicians monitor the performance of systems in nuclear power plants. They measure levels of radiation and other contaminants in water systems. The levels they find could indicate a leak or could decrease the efficiency of the turbines in the power plants. They measure efficiency and ensure safety by making calculations based on factors such as temperature, pressure, and radiation intensity. Operating technicians must make adjustments and repairs to maintain or improve the performance of reactors and other equipment.

Radiation protection technicians monitor levels of radiation contamination to protect personnel in nuclear power facilities and the surrounding environment. They use radiation detectors to measure levels in and around facilities, and they use dosimeters to measure the levels present in people and objects. Technicians map radiation levels throughout the plant and the surrounding environment and recommend radioactive decontamination plans and safety procedures for personnel. They also monitor worker activity from a control room and alert personnel who may be entering a dangerous area or working in an unsafe way.

Nuclear technicians also work in waste management and treatment facilities, where they monitor the disposal, recycling, and storage of nuclear waste. They perform duties similar to those of radiation protection technicians at nuclear power plants.

Some nuclear technicians work in laboratories. They help nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, and other scientists conduct research and develop new types of nuclear reactors, fuels, medicines, and other technologies. They use equipment such as radiation detectors, spectrometers (utilized to measure gamma ray and x-ray radiation), and particle accelerators to conduct experiments and gather data. They also may use remote-controlled equipment to manipulate radioactive materials or materials exposed to radiation.

Salary
Median salary: $84,190 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $65,650 and $100,260.
$84K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$69K$55K$75K$41K$30K$56K$64K$75K$62K$0$50K$100K$150K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
02K4K6K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Nuclear Technicians
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of nuclear technicians who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Radiation Exposure (98%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (88%)
  • Consequence of Error (69%)
  • Time Pressure (53%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (43%)
  • Hazardous Conditions (42%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (37%)
  • High Places (35%)
  • Unpleasant or Angry People (32%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Nuclear Technicians? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Nuclear technicians receive complex instructions from scientists and engineers that they must follow exactly. They have to ask questions to clarify anything they do not understand. Nuclear technicians must explain their work to scientists, engineers, and reactor operators. They must also instruct others on safety procedures and warn them of hazardous conditions. Many of the daily procedures and work processes must be thoroughly documented because of the risky nature of the work.
Computer skills
Nuclear technicians must use computers for plant operations and for normal office work, such as documenting their activities.
Critical-thinking skills
Nuclear technicians must carefully evaluate all available information before deciding on a course of action. For example, radiation protection technicians must evaluate data from radiation detectors to determine if areas are safe and must develop decontamination plans if they are not safe.
Math skills
Nuclear technicians use scientific and mathematical formulas to analyze experimental and production data, such as reaction rates and radiation exposures.
Mechanical skills
Nuclear technicians need to have strong mechanical aptitude. Nuclear power facilities are complex, and workers need to understand how the facilities work in order to make adjustments and repairs to equipment and to maintain a safe working environment. Employers hiring nuclear technicians in nuclear power plants often conduct mechanical aptitude tests as part of the hiring process.
Monitoring skills
Nuclear technicians must assess data from sensors, gauges, and other instruments to make sure that equipment and experiments are functioning properly and that radiation levels are controlled.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by nuclear technicians
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nuclear technicians typically hold a associate's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for nuclear technicians

Nuclear technicians typically need an associate’s degree, or they may have equivalent experience from serving in the military—specifically, the U.S. Navy. Many community colleges and technical institutes offer associate’s degree programs in nuclear science, nuclear technology, or related fields. Students study nuclear energy, radiation, and the equipment and components used in nuclear power plants and laboratories. Other coursework includes mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for nuclear technicians

The Nuclear Energy Institute offers a certificate through its Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program. The American Society for Nondestructive Testing offers Industrial Radiography and Radiation Safety Personnel certification. The National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists offers certification as a Registered Radiation Protection Technologist.

Education level of Environmental Science, Nuclear, and Geoscience Technicians
Only 40% of environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Number of degrees awarded in 2018
Education
Education level of awarded degrees
Assoc./Cert.
Bachelor's
Graduate
Gender
Gender of graduates
Men
Women
Race/Origin
Race/origin of graduates
White
Minority
International
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Environmental Science, Nuclear, and Geoscience Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most nuclear technicians? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as nuclear technicians. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where nuclear technicians earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Environmental Science, Nuclear, and Geoscience Technicians (ACS for all specialties)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
13% of Environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 13% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 51% of careers.
13%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$54K$60K$57K$42K$52K$37K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000$120,000Federal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians and gender
With 28% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 59% of careers.
Gender of Environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians
Men (72%)
Women (28%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$46K$59K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
28%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians tops that, with the median salary for men 27% higher than the median salary for women.
27%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians.
Race/origin of environmental science, nuclear, and geoscience technicians
White (76% )
Asian (9% )
Black (8% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
American Indian (1% )
Hispanic (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$45K$49K$49K$55K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120KBlackOtherAsianWhite
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.