North Carolina Nuclear jobs: 1,565 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, North Carolina employs 1,565 people in the nuclear sector — about 2.7% of the U.S. total. That makes North Carolina the 15th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in North Carolina (2024)
National share: 2.70% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
North Carolina ranks 15th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 1,565 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 587 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 2,741 nuclear workers.
1.1 North Carolina’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; North Carolina accounts for 1,565 of them.
1.3 Where North Carolina sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 83,490 | #7 |
| Solar | 10,224 | #7 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,747 | #14 |
| Storage & Grid | 2,020 | #15 |
| Wind | 1,731 | #20 |
| Nuclear | 1,565 | #15 |
| Hydropower | 806 | #16 |
| Clean Fuels | 571 | #9 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in North Carolina
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for North Carolina in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in North Carolina
North Carolina contributes 2.70% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within North Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 1.5% of total clean-energy jobs (1,565 of 103,154 workers).
Cost-of-living in North Carolina is roughly 3.8% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in North Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | North Carolina-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $117,826 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $115,777 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
North Carolina employers rate 18.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 36.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 55.0% of North Carolina’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 | 54,511 |
| Professional Services | 47,657 |
| Manufacturing | 44,541 |
| Other Services | 39,092 |
| Trade | 23,647 |
| Utilities | 14,591 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 2,791 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,119 |
| Mining and Extraction | 301 |
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.