Nuclear · Illinois
Illinois Nuclear jobs: 4,209 employed (2024)
Nuclear Jobs in Illinois (2024)
4,209
Rank #2 of 51
7.26% of U.S.
Illinois-adjusted median
$122,508
Across 2 tracked nuclear roles, BEA RPP × 1.01.
Nuclear sub-sector breakdown in Illinois
Nuclear electricity
4,209
Nuclear fuels
615
Where Illinois’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 89,878 | #5 |
| Wind | 9,216 | #2 |
| Solar | 7,158 | #15 |
| Electric Vehicles | 4,525 | #8 |
| Nuclear | 4,209 | #2 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,789 | #8 |
| Hydropower | 979 | #12 |
| Clean Fuels | 464 | #11 |
Illinois vs. the nuclear leader, median, and bottom
1st · South Carolina
4,306
2. Illinois
4,209
25th · Arkansas
978
51st · Wyoming
5
Nuclear roles and pay in Illinois
| Role | SOC | National median | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | 17-2161.00 | $122,480 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | 51-8011.00 | $120,350 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Illinois
Did not hire
50.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
28.0%
Very difficult hiring
17.2%
Not at all difficult hiring
4.7%
NAICS industry mix for Illinois clean-energy jobs
Manufacturing
79,577
Construction
64,186
Professional Services
47,035
Other Services
45,006
Trade
32,565
Utilities
22,832
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
12,286
Mining and Extraction
3,986
Agriculture and Forestry
2,939
Illinois’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Wind
9,216
Solar
7,158
Natural gas electricity
4,433
Nuclear electricity
4,209
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
2,212
Other electricity
1,890
Coal electricity
1,846
Traditional hydropower
979
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
426
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
415
Geothermal electricity
282
Full USEER workbook line items for Illinois
Fuels
| Fuels total | 29,608 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 17,507 |
| Corn ethanol | 3,471 |
| Coal fuels | 2,813 |
| Natural gas fuels | 1,828 |
| Other fuels | 1,385 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,200 |
| Nuclear fuels | 615 |
| Other biofuels | 464 |
| Woody biomass | 325 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 33,065 |
| Wind | 9,216 |
| Solar | 7,158 |
| Natural gas electricity | 4,433 |
| Nuclear electricity | 4,209 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 2,212 |
| Other electricity | 1,890 |
| Coal electricity | 1,846 |
| Traditional hydropower | 979 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 426 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 415 |
| Geothermal electricity | 282 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 50,010 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 30,599 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 13,751 |
| Storage | 2,789 |
| Smart grid | 1,430 |
| Other grid modernization | 728 |
| Micro grid | 713 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 89,878 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 29,902 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 26,833 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 14,895 |
| Advanced materials | 9,158 |
| Other | 9,089 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 107,851 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 81,513 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 7,147 |
| Other vehicles | 5,575 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 4,525 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 4,308 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 3,250 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 813 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 720 |
By NAICS Industry
| Manufacturing | 79,577 |
| Construction | 64,186 |
| Professional Services | 47,035 |
| Other Services | 45,006 |
| Trade | 32,565 |
| Utilities | 22,832 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 12,286 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,939 |
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 🔥
Salesforce software 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Microsoft Power BI 🔥
SAS 🔥
Microsoft SharePoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Linux 🔥
Oracle Java 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
UNIX 🔥
Python 🔥
C++ 🔥
Microsoft Azure software 🔥
Desktop publishing software
Microsoft Power Automate
Discrete ordinates DORT dose assessment computer codes
FOLLOW code
SCALE ORIGEN-S point depletion and decay code
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
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%