Nuclear Engineering
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Nuclear Engineering occupation series (code 0840).
The verdict
In the Engineering and Architecture Group family, Nuclear Engineering counts 2,813 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.3% from the prior period; pay averages n/a, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 2,813
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- n/a
- Avg tenure
- 13.5 yrs
FedScope read on Nuclear Engineering (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Nuclear Engineering occupation (OPM code 0840): 2,813 people, headcount up 0.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Nuclear Engineering is n/a per year. Salaries moved down by 0.0% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 13.5 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 08, the Engineering and Architecture Group family, is where the federal government classifies Nuclear Engineering alongside 28 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Nuclear Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Inside the Engineering and Architecture Group family (29 occupations, 120,278 employees combined), Nuclear Engineering holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 2.3% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among Engineering and Architecture Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Nuclear Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Nuclear Engineering ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of n/a is higher than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Nuclear Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Nuclear Engineering ranks higher than 0%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 8,359 | $155,848 | 14.8 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Environmental Engineering | 2,429 | $139,024 | 17 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Nuclear Engineering outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (2,813 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Nuclear Engineering pays below the federal average by 100.0% (n/a vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 0th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 2,813 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Nuclear Engineering ranks #129 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Engineering and Architecture Group family (29 occupations, 120,278 employees combined), Nuclear Engineering holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 2.3% share of the family total.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.