Hiring a nuclear engineer in Augusta, GA

Do Augusta residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area pay?

Augusta residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $88,008 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $96,610 as the median of the 17 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 9%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area the group covers 17 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from surveying and mapping technicians at $45,530 to engineers, all other at $135,930 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with nuclear engineers at $132,440 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 17 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Augusta and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

Is the talent actually in Augusta?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 17-2161.

That matters here, because 24.2% of Augusta adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a thin local pool for a degree-requiring role, so expect to recruit across the metro rather than inside the city. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Augusta aged 25 and over.

The average Augusta commute runs 20.6 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 8.3% of Augusta workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Augusta.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Richmond County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 852 and turns over 6.5% a quarter, with 153 hires against 204 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $8,348 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about nuclear engineers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $132,440 median in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $26,488 to $39,732 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a nuclear engineer in Augusta

What does it cost to hire a nuclear engineer in Augusta?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $132,440 median wage in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,488 to $39,732 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a nuclear engineer in Augusta look like?

Employers in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area pay nuclear engineers a median of $132,440, with the middle half of the market between $104,730 and $138,250 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $104,730 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Augusta residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area pay?

Augusta residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $88,008 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $96,610 as the median of the 17 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 9%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Augusta?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 24.2% of Augusta adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a thin local pool, so expect the search to run across the metro rather than inside the city.

Related

• Hiring Nuclear Engineers: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Augusta
• Every Georgia city we cover

Augusta is the 3rd largest of 3 Georgia cities in this dataset.