As of April 01, 2026, the average hourly pay of Nuclear Reactor Operator in the United States is $52. While Salary.com is seeing that Nuclear Reactor Operator salary in the US can go up to $59 or down to $46, but most earn between $49 and $56. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Nuclear Reactor Operator in the United States.
| Percentile | Hourly Pay Rate | Location | Last Updated |
| 10th Percentile Nuclear Reactor Operator Salary | $46 | US | April 01, 2026 |
| 25th Percentile Nuclear Reactor Operator Salary | $49 | US | April 01, 2026 |
| 50th Percentile Nuclear Reactor Operator Salary | $52 | US | April 01, 2026 |
| 75th Percentile Nuclear Reactor Operator Salary | $56 | US | April 01, 2026 |
| 90th Percentile Nuclear Reactor Operator Salary | $59 | US | April 01, 2026 |
A reactor operator (or nuclear reactor operator) is an individual at a nuclear power plant who is responsible for directly controlling a nuclear reactor from a control panel and is the only individual at a nuclear power plant who can directly alter significant amounts of reactor reactivity. The reactor operator occupies a position of great responsibility that may require him or her to start up a nuclear reactor, shut down a critical nuclear reactor, monitor reactor parameters, or respond to a casualty of the nuclear reactor. All reactor operators are required to be licensed or qualified by ...
Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/18/2019). Read more from Wikipedia
See user submitted job responsibilities for Nuclear Reactor Operator.
2 - 4 years experience
Bachelor's Degree
4 - 7 years experience
Master's Degree or MBA
7 + years experience
Master's Degree or MBA
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Core compensation
Includes base and short-term incentives
Recently searched related titles: Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Specialist
Learn more about: Compensation Packages, Employee Flight Risk, Gender Pay Gap, Job Openings for This Role
Jobs with a similar salary range to Nuclear Reactor Operator : Nuclear Operator, React Engineer, Reactor Engineer
