Start with the answer
Nuclear Engineers pay in Monroe, MI and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Nuclear Engineers is $136,260 per year in Monroe, MI. It is $180,360 per year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Monroe, MI is 24.5% below Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 17-2161 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 90 wage and salary jobs in Monroe, MI and 840 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
