Nuclear · California
California Nuclear jobs: 4,106 employed (2024)
Nuclear Jobs in California (2024)
4,106
Rank #4 of 51
7.09% of U.S.
California-adjusted median
$138,413
Across 2 tracked nuclear roles, BEA RPP × 1.14.
Nuclear sub-sector breakdown in California
Nuclear electricity
4,106
Nuclear fuels
806
Where California’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 312,090 | #1 |
| Solar | 116,380 | #1 |
| Electric Vehicles | 48,965 | #1 |
| Storage & Grid | 19,309 | #1 |
| Hydropower | 10,633 | #1 |
| Wind | 8,384 | #3 |
| Clean Fuels | 4,373 | #1 |
| Nuclear | 4,106 | #4 |
California vs. the nuclear leader, median, and bottom
1st · South Carolina
4,306
4. California
4,106
25th · Arkansas
978
51st · Wyoming
5
Nuclear roles and pay in California
| Role | SOC | National median | California-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | 17-2161.00 | $122,480 | $139,627 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | 51-8011.00 | $120,350 | $137,199 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in California
Did not hire
44.0%
Somewhat difficult hiring
31.7%
Very difficult hiring
19.0%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.3%
NAICS industry mix for California clean-energy jobs
Construction
261,790
Professional Services
179,480
Other Services
140,473
Manufacturing
135,925
Trade
114,418
Utilities
78,614
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
18,372
Mining and Extraction
11,089
Agriculture and Forestry
1,334
California’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
116,380
Natural gas electricity
20,091
Traditional hydropower
10,633
Wind
8,384
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
7,465
Other electricity
4,482
Nuclear electricity
4,106
Coal electricity
1,831
Geothermal electricity
1,737
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
1,427
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
980
Full USEER workbook line items for California
Fuels
| Fuels total | 71,284 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 49,062 |
| Natural gas fuels | 8,437 |
| Other biofuels | 4,373 |
| Other fuels | 3,556 |
| Woody biomass | 2,390 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,600 |
| Corn ethanol | 844 |
| Nuclear fuels | 806 |
| Coal fuels | 217 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 177,515 |
| Solar | 116,380 |
| Natural gas electricity | 20,091 |
| Traditional hydropower | 10,633 |
| Wind | 8,384 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 7,465 |
| Other electricity | 4,482 |
| Nuclear electricity | 4,106 |
| Coal electricity | 1,831 |
| Geothermal electricity | 1,737 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 1,427 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 980 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 151,704 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 98,184 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 26,628 |
| Storage | 19,309 |
| Smart grid | 2,912 |
| Other grid modernization | 2,450 |
| Micro grid | 2,221 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 312,090 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 114,555 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 69,722 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 63,811 |
| Other | 38,952 |
| Advanced materials | 25,050 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 228,902 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 151,355 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 48,965 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 15,344 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 6,397 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 3,130 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 1,935 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 1,543 |
| Other vehicles | 234 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 261,790 |
| Professional Services | 179,480 |
| Other Services | 140,473 |
| Manufacturing | 135,925 |
| Trade | 114,418 |
| Utilities | 78,614 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 18,372 |
| Mining and Extraction | 11,089 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,334 |
Skill profile for nuclear roles
Top skills
Critical Thinking4.00
Reading Comprehension4.00
Active Listening3.94
Monitoring3.94
Complex Problem Solving3.88
Operations Monitoring3.81
Judgment and Decision Making3.75
Writing3.75
Knowledge
Physics4.32
Engineering and Technology4.06
Mathematics3.99
Public Safety and Security3.81
Mechanical3.68
Chemistry3.62
English Language3.49
Design3.35
Core abilities
Problem Sensitivity4.37
Information Ordering4.00
Oral Expression4.00
Written Comprehension4.00
Deductive Reasoning3.94
Inductive Reasoning3.94
Near Vision3.88
Oral Comprehension3.88
Representative tasks for nuclear workers
- Review and edit standard operating procedures. (Core)
- Record operating data, such as the results of surveillance tests. (Core)
- Conduct inspections or operations outside of control rooms as necessary. (Core)
- Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures. (Core)
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations. (Core)
- Monitor or operate boilers, turbines, wells, or auxiliary power plant equipment. (Core)
- Implement operational procedures, such as those controlling start-up or shut-down activities. (Core)
- Authorize maintenance activities on units or changes in equipment or system operational status. (Supplemental)
- Direct measurement of the intensity or types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials. (Supplemental)
- Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance. (Core)
- Direct reactor operators in emergency situations, in accordance with emergency operating procedures. (Supplemental)
- Note malfunctions of equipment, instruments, or controls and report these conditions to supervisors. (Core)
Software and tools used in nuclear roles
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Microsoft Power BI 🔥
SAS 🔥
Microsoft SharePoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Linux 🔥
Oracle Java 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
Python 🔥
UNIX 🔥
C++ 🔥
Microsoft Azure software 🔥
Salesforce software 🔥
Discrete ordinates DORT dose assessment computer codes
FOLLOW code
SCALE ORIGEN-S point depletion and decay code
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
Scientech Safety Monitor
Graphics software
Education & training paths into nuclear
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification3.1%
Apprenticeship1.8%
OJ
On-the-Job Training18.2%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training22.2%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education28.6%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience13.3%
Related in California
Energy Efficiency
312,090 jobs
Solar
116,380 jobs
Electric Vehicles
48,965 jobs
Storage & Grid
19,309 jobs