Nuclear · Vermont

Vermont Nuclear jobs: 168 employed (2024)

As of the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report, Vermont employs 168 people in the nuclear sector — about 0.3% of the U.S. total. That makes Vermont the 31st-largest state for nuclear jobs nationwide.

Nuclear Jobs in Vermont (2024)

168 Rank #31 of 51

National share: 0.29% of all U.S. nuclear jobs.

Typical Median Wage

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

1. Employment Landscape

Vermont ranks 31st out of 51 U.S. states in nuclear employment. At 168 workers, the state sits below the 25th-ranked Arkansas’s tally by 810 jobs, and trails the national leader South Carolina by 4,138 nuclear workers.

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

1st · South Carolina
4,306
25th · Arkansas
978
31. Vermont
168
51st · Wyoming
5

1.2 Share of U.S. total

The nuclear sector nationwide employs roughly 57,942 workers; Vermont accounts for 168 of them.

1.3 Where Vermont sits in its own mix

Sector Jobs (2024) National rank
Energy Efficiency 10,515 #41
Solar 1,834 #33
Storage & Grid 480 #38
Wind 360 #42
Nuclear 168 #31
Electric Vehicles 140 #47
Hydropower 130 #39
Clean Fuels 69 #44

1.4 Sub-sector breakdown in Vermont

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

Nuclear electricity
168
Nuclear fuels
28

2. Pay & Career Roles in Vermont

Vermont contributes 0.29% of the nation’s nuclear workforce. Within Vermont’s own clean-energy economy, nuclear accounts for 1.2% of total clean-energy jobs (168 of 13,696 workers).

Cost-of-living in Vermont is roughly 1.0% higher the U.S. average, so the state-adjusted median wage for nuclear roles in Vermont is shown alongside the national BLS figure.

RoleNational medianVermont-adjustedJob Zone
Nuclear Engineer $122,480 $123,705 4
Nuclear Power Reactor Operator $120,350 $121,554 3

See all 2 nuclear occupations with national wages and skills →

4. Hiring Difficulty & Industry Mix

Vermont employers rate 19.7% of clean-energy hires as “very difficult” (plus 29.4% as “somewhat difficult”) — on par with the ~22% national baseline. Combined, 49.1% of Vermont’s clean-energy roles see some level of hiring friction.

4.1 Employer hiring difficulty

Did not hire
46.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
29.4%
Very difficult hiring
19.7%
Not at all difficult hiring
4.8%

4.2 Jobs by NAICS industry group

Industry (NAICS group)Jobs (2024)
Construction 5,836
Professional Services 5,422
Trade 4,397
Other Services 2,801
Manufacturing 2,253
Utilities 1,365
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows 199
Agriculture and Forestry 14
Mining and Extraction 2

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nuclear jobs are there in Vermont?
As of 2024, Vermont has approximately 168 nuclear jobs — ranked 31st 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 Vermont a good place to take one of these jobs?
Vermont is currently in line with national norms. Cost-of-living runs 1.0% above 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.