Michigan Nuclear jobs: 3,060 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Michigan employs 3,060 people in the nuclear sector — about 5.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Michigan the 7th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in Michigan (2024)
National share: 5.28% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Michigan ranks 7th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 3,060 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 2,082 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 1,245 nuclear workers.
1.1 Michigan’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; Michigan accounts for 3,060 of them.
1.3 Where Michigan sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 78,442 | #10 |
| Electric Vehicles | 9,414 | #3 |
| Solar | 5,758 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 5,106 | #5 |
| Wind | 5,100 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 3,060 | #7 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,933 | #5 |
| Clean Fuels | 551 | #10 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Michigan
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for Michigan in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Michigan
Michigan contributes 5.28% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Michigan’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 2.8% of total clean-energy jobs (3,060 of 110,365 workers).
Cost-of-living in Michigan is roughly 6.0% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Michigan is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Michigan-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $115,131 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $113,129 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Michigan employers rate 24.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 23.8% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 48.3% of Michigan’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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 226,497 |
| Construction | 38,349 |
| Trade | 35,253 |
| Other Services | 31,606 |
| Professional Services | 28,467 |
| Utilities | 20,480 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 11,416 |
| Mining and Extraction | 1,986 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 792 |
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.