South Carolina Nuclear jobs: 4,306 employed (2024)
As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, South Carolina employs 4,306 people in the nuclear sector — about 7.4% of the U.S. total. That makes South Carolina the 1st-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.
Nuclear Jobs in South Carolina (2024)
National share: 7.43% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.
Typical Median Wage
1. Employment Landscape
South Carolina ranks 1st out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 4,306 workers, the state sits above the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 3,328 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 0 nuclear workers.
1.1 South 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; South Carolina accounts for 4,306 of them.
1.3 Where South Carolina sits in its own mix
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 31,530 | #27 |
| Hydropower | 7,415 | #2 |
| Nuclear | 4,306 | #1 |
| Solar | 4,176 | #25 |
| Electric Vehicles | 1,994 | #18 |
| Wind | 1,818 | #19 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,097 | #22 |
| Clean Fuels | 249 | #23 |
1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in South Carolina
Every nuclear-related sub-category reported for South Carolina in the USEER workbook, ranked by employment.
2. Pay & Career Roles in South Carolina
South Carolina contributes 7.43% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within South Carolina’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 8.2% of total clean-energy jobs (4,306 of 52,585 workers).
Cost-of-living in South Carolina is roughly 5.7% lower the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in South Carolina is shown alongside the national BLS figure.
| Role | National median | South Carolina-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | $122,480 | $115,499 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | $120,350 | $113,490 | 3 |
See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →
4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix
South Carolina employers rate 28.1% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 21.9% as “somewhat difficult”) — tighter than the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 50.0% of South 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) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 50,545 |
| Construction | 28,144 |
| Trade | 25,163 |
| Other Services | 17,799 |
| Utilities | 12,125 |
| Professional Services | 7,687 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 4,875 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 815 |
| Mining and Extraction | 127 |
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.