Headline risk
19%
Moderate RiskNuclear power reactor operators
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Operate or control nuclear reactors. Move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, and record data in logs. Implement emergency procedures when needed. May respond to abnormalities, determine cause, and recommend corrective action.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 122,610
Employment 2024
5.7K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-15.3%
Openings (2024–34)
0.4K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Operate nuclear power reactors in accordance with policies and procedures to protect workers from radiation and to ensure environmental safety. AI use: 0%
- 2. Respond to system or unit abnormalities, diagnosing the cause, and recommending or taking corrective action. AI use: 0%
- 3. Monitor all systems for normal running conditions, performing activities such as checking gauges to assess output or the effects of generator loading on other equipment. AI use: 0%
- 4. Monitor or operate boilers, turbines, wells, or auxiliary power plant equipment. AI use: 0%
- 5. Adjust controls to position rod and to regulate flux level, reactor period, coolant temperature, or rate of power flow, following standard procedures. AI use: 0%
- 6. Develop or implement actions such as lockouts, tagouts, or clearances to allow equipment to be safely repaired. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 40.9 · 404K employed
Under 25: 14% · 25–54: 65% · 55+: 21%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers control the systems that generate and distribute electric power.
Most power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. They typically work rotating 8- or 12-hour shifts.
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers typically need at least a high school diploma or the equivalent to enter the occupation. Once hired, they typically receive extensive on-the-job training. Nuclear power reactor operators also need a license.
The median annual wage for power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers was $103,600 in May 2024.
Overall employment of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.