Career profile · 19-4051
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians
Collect and test samples to monitor results of nuclear experiments and contamination of humans, facilities, and environment.
What the work can involve
- Brief workers on radiation levels in work areas.
- Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
- Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure.
- Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits.
- Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment.
- Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Public Safety and Security
- Chemistry
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Getting Information
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 54.3%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 29.0%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 70.5%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Once a month or more but not every week | 28.9%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Spend Time Sitting | About half the time | 53.9%07/2014 · sample 36 |
| Spend Time Standing | About half the time | 55.4%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | More than half the time | 41.6%07/2014 · sample 36 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 33.8%07/2014 · sample 36 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 95.6%07/2014 · sample 37 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 78.5%07/2014 · sample 37 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Gamma waste assay system GWAS, RESRAD, Radiological assessment display and control system RADACS
- Application server software: Google Compute Engine (GCE)
- Data base user interface and query software: Structured query language SQL
- Development environment software: Microsoft Azure software
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Industrial control software: AVEVA InTouch HMI, Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Object or component oriented development software: Oracle Java
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Server
- Platform interconnectivity software: Connectivity software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for nuclear monitoring technicians
This O*NET specialty shares the BLS 19-4051 occupation series. Pay is measured for Nuclear Technicians, not separately for this specialty.
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Associate's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 14 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $110,240 | $53.00 | 280 |
| California | $99,270 | $47.72 | Not published |
| Florida | $135,550 | $65.17 | 60 |
| Illinois | $110,390 | $53.07 | 780 |
| Massachusetts | $113,390 | $54.51 | 50 |
| Missouri | $104,580 | $50.28 | 150 |
| New York | $129,780 | $62.40 | 260 |
| North Carolina | $110,430 | $53.09 | 420 |
| Pennsylvania | $124,070 | $59.65 | 310 |
| South Carolina | $108,490 | $52.16 | 750 |
| Tennessee | $91,980 | $44.22 | 110 |
| Texas | $124,060 | $59.64 | 110 |
| Virginia | $98,930 | $47.56 | 680 |
| Washington | $108,200 | $52.02 | 90 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 9 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other→
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary→
- Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other→
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists→
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists→
- Nuclear Technicians→
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians→
- Ophthalmic Medical Technologists→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 19-4051.02.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.