Nuclear · Virginia
Virginia Nuclear jobs: 2,426 employed (2024)
Nuclear Jobs in Virginia (2024)
2,426
Rank #10 of 51
4.19% of U.S.
Virginia-adjusted median
$125,057
Across 2 tracked nuclear roles, BEA RPP × 1.03.
Nuclear sub-sector breakdown in Virginia
Nuclear electricity
2,426
Nuclear fuels
345
Where Virginia’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 79,241 | #9 |
| Solar | 6,005 | #17 |
| Wind | 2,527 | #14 |
| Electric Vehicles | 2,509 | #16 |
| Nuclear | 2,426 | #10 |
| Storage & Grid | 1,486 | #20 |
| Hydropower | 823 | #15 |
| Clean Fuels | 327 | #17 |
Virginia vs. the nuclear leader, median, and bottom
1st · South Carolina
4,306
10. Virginia
2,426
25th · Arkansas
978
51st · Wyoming
5
States with comparable nuclear employment
Nuclear roles and pay in Virginia
| Role | SOC | National median | Virginia-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Engineer | 17-2161.00 | $122,480 | $126,154 | 4 |
| Nuclear Power Reactor Operator | 51-8011.00 | $120,350 | $123,961 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in Virginia
Did not hire
47.0%
Somewhat difficult hiring
26.7%
Very difficult hiring
19.4%
Not at all difficult hiring
6.9%
NAICS industry mix for Virginia clean-energy jobs
Construction
66,425
Professional Services
39,112
Other Services
30,402
Manufacturing
21,369
Trade
17,717
Utilities
10,936
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
6,442
Mining and Extraction
3,026
Agriculture and Forestry
588
Virginia’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
6,005
Wind
2,527
Nuclear electricity
2,426
Natural gas electricity
1,913
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
1,877
Other electricity
1,297
Traditional hydropower
823
Coal electricity
771
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
412
Geothermal electricity
267
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
254
Full USEER workbook line items for Virginia
Fuels
| Fuels total | 14,526 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 5,891 |
| Coal fuels | 3,373 |
| Natural gas fuels | 2,047 |
| Woody biomass | 1,364 |
| Other fuels | 820 |
| Nuclear fuels | 345 |
| Other biofuels | 327 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 184 |
| Corn ethanol | 175 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 18,571 |
| Solar | 6,005 |
| Wind | 2,527 |
| Nuclear electricity | 2,426 |
| Natural gas electricity | 1,913 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 1,877 |
| Other electricity | 1,297 |
| Traditional hydropower | 823 |
| Coal electricity | 771 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 412 |
| Geothermal electricity | 267 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 254 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 32,729 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 20,092 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 9,337 |
| Storage | 1,486 |
| Micro grid | 637 |
| Other grid modernization | 607 |
| Smart grid | 570 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 79,241 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 19,933 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 18,485 |
| Other | 14,863 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 14,826 |
| Advanced materials | 11,135 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 50,949 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 39,117 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 3,835 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 2,509 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 1,882 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 1,731 |
| Other vehicles | 1,056 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 434 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 385 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 66,425 |
| Professional Services | 39,112 |
| Other Services | 30,402 |
| Manufacturing | 21,369 |
| Trade | 17,717 |
| Utilities | 10,936 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 6,442 |
| Mining and Extraction | 3,026 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 588 |
Skill profile for nuclear roles
Top skills
Critical Thinking4.00
Reading Comprehension4.00
Active Listening3.94
Monitoring3.94
Complex Problem Solving3.88
Operations Monitoring3.81
Judgment and Decision Making3.75
Writing3.75
Knowledge
Physics4.32
Engineering and Technology4.06
Mathematics3.99
Public Safety and Security3.81
Mechanical3.68
Chemistry3.62
English Language3.49
Design3.35
Core abilities
Problem Sensitivity4.37
Information Ordering4.00
Oral Expression4.00
Written Comprehension4.00
Deductive Reasoning3.94
Inductive Reasoning3.94
Near Vision3.88
Oral Comprehension3.88
Representative tasks for nuclear workers
- Review and edit standard operating procedures. (Core)
- Record operating data, such as the results of surveillance tests. (Core)
- Conduct inspections or operations outside of control rooms as necessary. (Core)
- Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures. (Core)
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations. (Core)
- Monitor or operate boilers, turbines, wells, or auxiliary power plant equipment. (Core)
- Implement operational procedures, such as those controlling start-up or shut-down activities. (Core)
- Authorize maintenance activities on units or changes in equipment or system operational status. (Supplemental)
- Direct measurement of the intensity or types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials. (Supplemental)
- Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance. (Core)
- Direct reactor operators in emergency situations, in accordance with emergency operating procedures. (Supplemental)
- Note malfunctions of equipment, instruments, or controls and report these conditions to supervisors. (Core)
Software and tools used in nuclear roles
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Salesforce software 🔥
Microsoft Power BI 🔥
SAP software 🔥
SAS 🔥
Microsoft SharePoint 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Linux 🔥
Oracle Java 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
Python 🔥
UNIX 🔥
Microsoft Azure software 🔥
C++ 🔥
Relational database software
Data logging software
Microsoft Power Automate
Desktop publishing software
Discrete ordinates DORT dose assessment computer codes
FOLLOW code
Education & training paths into nuclear
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification3.1%
Apprenticeship1.8%
OJ
On-the-Job Training18.2%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training22.2%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education28.6%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience13.3%