Oregon Nuclear jobs: 199 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Oregon employs 199 people in the nuclear sector — about 0.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Oregon the 30th-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in Oregon (2024)
National share: 0.34% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
Oregon ranks 30th out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 199 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 779 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 4,106 nuclear workers.
1.1 Oregon’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; Oregon accounts for 199 of them.
1.3 Where Oregon sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 41,357 | #21 |
| Solar | 5,807 | #19 |
| Hydropower | 1,774 | #8 |
| Wind | 1,717 | #22 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,578 | #18 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,112 | #26 |
| Clean Fuels | 601 | #7 |
| Nuclear | 199 | #30 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Oregon
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for Oregon in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in Oregon
Oregon contributes 0.34% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Oregon’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 0.4% of total clean-energy jobs (199 of 54,146 workers).
Cost-of-living in Oregon is roughly 3.8% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Oregon is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | Oregon-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $127,134 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $124,923 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
Oregon employers rate 17.8% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 28.2% as “somewhat difficult”) — easier than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 46.0% of Oregon’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 | 31,116 |
| Manufacturing | 18,022 |
| Other Services | 14,819 |
| Professional Services | 12,911 |
| Trade | 9,210 |
| Utilities | 7,146 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 2,996 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 1,198 |
| Mining and Extraction | 48 |
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.