New Jersey Nuclear jobs: 2,417 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, New Jersey employs 2,417 people in the nuclear sector — about 4.2% of the U.S. total. That makes New Jersey the 11th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in New Jersey (2024)
National share: 4.17% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
New Jersey ranks 11th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 2,417 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 1,439 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 1,889 nuclear workers.
1.1 New Jersey’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; New Jersey accounts for 2,417 of them.
1.3 Where New Jersey sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 40,756 | #22 |
| Solar | 9,436 | #8 |
| Nuclear | 2,417 | #11 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,837 | #20 |
| Wind | 1,212 | #31 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,012 | #29 |
| Clean Fuels | 371 | #16 |
| Hydropower | 321 | #26 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in New Jersey
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for New Jersey in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in New Jersey
New Jersey contributes 4.17% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within New Jersey’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 4.2% of total clean-energy jobs (2,417 of 57,363 workers).
Cost-of-living in New Jersey is roughly 12.4% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in New Jersey is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | New Jersey-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $137,668 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $135,273 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
New Jersey employers rate 17.6% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 35.6% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 53.2% of New Jersey’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 | 34,921 |
| Other Services | 29,153 |
| Trade | 28,896 |
| Manufacturing | 18,696 |
| Professional Services | 14,902 |
| Utilities | 12,766 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 7,275 |
| Mining and Extraction | 175 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 39 |
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.