Best Cities for Nuclear Technicianss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where nuclear technicianss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	FloridaState	1.21	$135,550	$133,547	15%
2	TexasState	1.18	$124,060	$129,770	13%
3	PennsylvaniaState	1.16	$124,070	$127,907	13%
4	AlabamaState	1.15	$110,240	$126,567	10%
5	MissouriState	1.07	$104,580	$118,036	12%
6	South CarolinaState	1.07	$108,490	$117,924	14%
7	North CarolinaState	1.06	$110,430	$116,981	14%
8	New YorkState	1.05	$129,780	$115,360	17%
9	IllinoisState	1.03	$110,390	$113,337	14%
10	MassachusettsState	0.95	$113,390	$104,507	24%
11	TennesseeState	0.91	$91,980	$100,525	16%
12	WashingtonState	0.91	$108,200	$100,839	21%
13	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.91	$113,390	$99,903	27%
14	VirginiaState	0.87	$98,930	$95,585	19%
15	CaliforniaState	0.81	$99,270	$89,675	27%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).