Nuclear Reactor Operator
Structural exposure score derived from 2 independent sources (OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" (human_rating_beta) + AIOE (Felten, Raj & Seamans)), each normalized against its own full reference population and combined by simple average, then converted to a percentile.
We have not ingested real-world usage data for this occupation yet. We show a band only where genuine data exists, rather than estimate one.
What a nuclear reactor operator actually does
Nuclear power reactor operators sit at the control panels of a commercial nuclear power plant's reactor and directly manipulate the equipment that controls the nuclear reaction itself: moving control rods to adjust reactivity, starting and stopping reactor coolant pumps and turbines, monitoring hundreds of gauges and alarms for temperature, pressure, and radiation readings, and executing precise, procedure-driven startup and shutdown sequences.
Two levels of federal license exist: a Reactor Operator (RO) license authorizes directly manipulating the controls, while a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) license authorizes directing the activities of licensed operators and typically supervises the control-room crew. Every task performed at the controls is governed by detailed, plant-specific procedures and cross-checked against control-room logs that federal regulators can audit at any time.
Reactor operators also respond to abnormal conditions and emergencies under strict, drilled procedures, coordinate with radiation-protection staff before any work requiring reactor shutdown, and requalify on a recurring training and simulator-testing schedule for as long as they hold their license. Sample job titles include Licensed Reactor Operator, Nuclear Control Operator, and Reactor Operator (RO), with Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) describing the supervisory tier of the same underlying role.
Why it reads this way
Nuclear Reactor Operator scores 52/100 on this site's structural exposure measure, a borderline reading that undersells the real protection here: federal law is unusually direct and airtight for this specific role. Under 10 CFR Part 55, the U. S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires anyone who manipulates the controls of a commercial nuclear reactor, or directs others who do, to hold a personal NRC operator or senior-operator license, and per the NRC's own regulatory framework, reactor and senior-reactor operators are the only individuals required to be personally licensed by the NRC to perform their jobs at a plant.
That license is issued to a named person after extensive plant-specific training, a written exam, and an operating exam on the plant's own simulator, and it must be periodically requalified for as long as that person holds it. Software cannot hold an NRC operator license, and unlicensed manipulation of reactor controls is a federal violation with real consequences, not just an internal company rule.
The NRC's own current AI work confirms this isn't a fading requirement: the agency's 2025-2026 AI strategic initiatives are aimed at speeding up its own licensing paperwork and reactor-design reviews, explicitly framed around "human-in-the-loop" workflows, not at replacing the licensed human sitting at the control panel.
The occupation's flat-to-declining growth projection (BLS/O*NET show -1% or lower through 2034) reflects the US nuclear fleet's plant count and retirement schedule, a demand-side factor unrelated to automation risk, not evidence of the job itself being displaced by software.
Skills this role draws on
We don't yet have task-by-task time-share data for this occupation, so we can't show which specific tasks carry the exposure score above. This is the real skill set instead.
Typical salary range (USD)
$98,640–$149,310
Average: $122,890/yr
Range source: BLS OEWS wage data via O*NET OnLine (2025 release), SOC 51-8011.00 'Nuclear Power Reactor Operators'
Average source: BLS OEWS wage data for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators (51-8011.00) via O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data (Annual Mean Wage)
Head-to-head comparisons
Nuclear Reactor Operator scores 52/100 (Medium structural confidence, both pillars cover this code), a borderline reading held up by one of the most airtight legal walls on this entire site: under 10 CFR Part 55, the NRC requires anyone who manipulates reactor controls, or directs those who do, to hold a personal Reactor Operator or Senior Reactor Operator license, and the NRC's own regulatory framework states these are the only individuals required to be personally licensed by the NRC to do their jobs. Software cannot hold that license, and unlicensed control manipulation is a federal violation, not an internal rule. The NRC's own 2025-2026 AI strategic work targets its own licensing-review paperwork via "human-in-the-loop" workflows, not the licensed human at the control panel. The occupation's flat-to-declining BLS/O*NET growth projection reflects the US nuclear fleet's plant count and retirement schedule, a demand-side factor unrelated to automation, as of 2026-09-21.
This is a researched judgment (checklist v1.2), not a statistical measurement — it sits alongside, not instead of, the structural exposure signal above. Next scheduled review: 2027-03-21.
Data sources & methodology
Salary data: BLS OEWS wage data via O*NET OnLine (2025 release), SOC 51-8011.00 'Nuclear Power Reactor Operators'. Min/max figures represent the 10th–90th percentile annual wage range across the United States. Average figure sourced separately: BLS OEWS wage data for Nuclear Power Reactor Operators (51-8011.00) via O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data (Annual Mean Wage).
Automation Risk Score: Based on O*NET occupational analysis (51-8011.00) evaluating task complexity, physical requirements, social intelligence, and environmental variability. Methodology based on research from Frey & Osborne (Oxford, 2017).
Growth projections: Decline (-1% or lower, 2024-2034) per O*NET's Job Outlook designation, ~400 total projected openings over the decade, driven by plant-count and workforce-replacement dynamics rather than automation (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook / O*NET), based on BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.