Ohio Nuclear jobs: 1,786 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Ohio employs 1,786 people in the nuclear sector — about 3.1% of the U.S. total. That makes Ohio the 13th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in Ohio (2024)
National share: 3.08% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Ohio ranks 13th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 1,786 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 808 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 2,520 nuclear workers.
1.1 Ohio’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; Ohio accounts for 1,786 of them.
1.3 Where Ohio sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 81,397 | #8 |
| Solar | 8,780 | #11 |
| Electric Vehicles | 6,793 | #4 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,812 | #16 |
| Nuclear | 1,786 | #13 |
| Wind | 1,679 | #23 |
| Hydropower | 400 | #24 |
| Clean Fuels | 392 | #14 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Ohio
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for Ohio in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Ohio
Ohio contributes 3.08% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Ohio’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 1.7% of total clean-energy jobs (1,786 of 103,039 workers).
Cost-of-living in Ohio is roughly 8.2% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Ohio is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Ohio-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $112,437 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $110,481 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Ohio employers rate 22.4% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 34.7% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 57.1% of Ohio’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 | 123,332 |
| Construction | 69,916 |
| Other Services | 38,912 |
| Trade | 35,576 |
| Professional Services | 27,103 |
| Utilities | 18,139 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 12,898 |
| Mining and Extraction | 5,568 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 681 |
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.