Nuclear · Oklahoma

Oklahoma Nuclear jobs: 14 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Oklahoma employs 14 people in the nuclear sector — about 0% of the U.S. total. That makes Oklahoma the 41st-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.

Nuclear Jobs in Oklahoma (2024)

14 Rank #41 of 51

National share: 0.02% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.

Typical Median Wage

$121,415
Sector-wide BLS OES median across 2 tracked occupations.

1. Employment Landscape

Oklahoma ranks 41st out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 14 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 964 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 4,292 nuclear workers.

1.1 Oklahoma’s position vs. the top 10 and median states

1st · South Carolina
4,306
25th · Arkansas
978
41. Oklahoma
14
51st · Wyoming
5

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The nuclear sector nationwide employs roughly 57,942 workers; Oklahoma accounts for 14 of them.

1.3 Where Oklahoma sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 15,934 #33
Wind 2,080 #16
Solar 1,788 #34
Storage & Grid 1,090 #24
Electric Vehicles 799 #32
Hydropower 435 #22
Clean Fuels 139 #35
Nuclear 14 #41

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Oklahoma

Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for Oklahoma in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.

Nuclear electricity
14
Nuclear fuels
39

2. Pay & Career Roles in Oklahoma

Oklahoma contributes 0.02% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Oklahoma’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 0.1% of total clean-energy jobs (14 of 22,279 workers).

Cost-of-living in Oklahoma is roughly 10.9% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Oklahoma is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianOklahoma-adjustedJob Zone
Nuclear Engineer $122,480 $109,130 4
Nuclear Power Reactor Operator $120,350 $107,232 3

See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Oklahoma employers rate 22.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 27.6% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.7% of Oklahoma’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
44.8%
Somewhat difficult hiring
27.6%
Very difficult hiring
22.1%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.6%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Construction 35,358
Mining and Extraction 30,049
Manufacturing 26,272
Other Services 12,618
Utilities 10,748
Professional Services 10,300
Trade 8,426
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 5,973
Agriculture and Forestry 65

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nuclear jobs are there in Oklahoma?
As of 2024, Oklahoma has approximately 14 nuclear jobs — ranked 41st nationally.
What do these jobs pay?
Median wages across the tracked nuclear occupations range from $120,350 to $122,480 according to BLS OES.
Is Oklahoma a good place to take one of these jobs?
Oklahoma is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 10.9% below the U.S. average, which raises or lowers real take-home on a BLS national median by a similar amount.

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.