Maryland Nuclear jobs: 1,144 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Maryland employs 1,144 people in the nuclear sector — about 2% of the U.S. total. That makes Maryland the 18th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in Maryland (2024)
National share: 1.97% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Maryland ranks 18th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 1,144 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 166 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 3,162 nuclear workers.
1.1 Maryland’s position vs. the top 10 and median states
1.2 Share of U.S. total
The nuclear sector nationwide employs roughly 57,942 workers; Maryland accounts for 1,144 of them.
1.3 Where Maryland sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 69,489 | #12 |
| Solar | 7,284 | #14 |
| Wind | 1,316 | #28 |
| Nuclear | 1,144 | #18 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,092 | #23 |
| Electric Vehicles | 993 | #29 |
| Hydropower | 252 | #31 |
| Clean Fuels | 222 | #27 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Maryland
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for Maryland in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Maryland
Maryland contributes 1.97% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Maryland’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 1.4% of total clean-energy jobs (1,144 of 81,793 workers).
Cost-of-living in Maryland is roughly 8.1% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Maryland is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Maryland-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $132,401 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $130,098 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Maryland employers rate 17.0% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 28.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 45.7% of Maryland’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.
4.1 Employer hiring difficulty
4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group
| Industry (NAICS group) | Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|
| Construction | 63,178 |
| Other Services | 21,086 |
| Professional Services | 17,834 |
| Trade | 10,706 |
| Utilities | 9,099 |
| Manufacturing | 6,169 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 1,251 |
| Mining and Extraction | 509 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 134 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Data source: U.S. Department of Energy — 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (reflecting 2024 employment); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics; O*NET Occupation Database 29.1.
Last updated: April 2026.