Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$170,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.5%
- Live roles
- 200
Nuclear Engineer
$141,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 65.5%
- Live roles
- 29
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Mission Software Engineer, Vehicle Software, Computer Vision
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Software
Senior Robotics Software Engineer, Vehicle Software
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Systems
Sr Staff Vehicle Controls Engineer
Senior Test Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Nuclear Materials Engineer
Nuclear Safety Engineer
Lead Nuclear Engineer
Senior Integration Engineer, Nuclear Programs
Senior Nuclear Engineer
Senior Nuclear Engineer
Senior Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) Engineer
Nuclear Licensing Engineer
Nuclear Safeguards and Materials Control & Accountability (MC&A) Analyst/Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 41 |
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 12 |
|
Inversion
|
$150,250 | 10 |
Scout Motors
|
$122,500 | 9 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$106,000 | 7 |
Applied Intuition
|
$175,000 | 5 |
|
ALSO
|
$265,000 | 3 |
Kodiak
|
$155,000 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Radiant Industries
|
$142,819 | 4 |
|
Antares
|
$167,500 | 3 |
|
General Matter
|
$125,000 | 3 |
Global Engineering & Technology, Inc. (GET)
|
$135,625 | 2 |
Jensen Hughes
|
$118,000 | 2 |
|
Helion
|
$290,500 | 1 |
|
Quast Ltd
|
$262,471 | 1 |
| OK Oklo | $155,000 | 1 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,000 | 8 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $140,000 | 3 |
Nuclear Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $125,000 | 5 |
Automotive Engineer vs Nuclear Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $170,000 per year (typically $138,125–$194,325), versus $141,000 for Nuclear Engineer ($125,744–$163,325). That puts Automotive Engineer about 21% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Nuclear Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.