Key Issues
Nuclear Power Plants Contribute Significantly to State and Local Economies
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January 2009
- Each year, the average nuclear plant generates approximately $430 million in sales of goods and services in the local community and nearly $40 million in total labor income.1
- Operation of a nuclear plant generates 400 to 700 permanent jobs. These jobs pay 36 percent more than average salaries in the local area.
- The permanent jobs at a nuclear plant create an equivalent number of additional jobs in the local area to provide the goods and services necessary to support the nuclear plant work force (e.g., grocery stores, dry cleaners, car dealers, etc.).
- Building a new nuclear plant would result in the creation of 1,400 to 1,800 jobs during construction, with peak employment as high as 2,400 jobs at certain times.
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1 The estimates in this fact sheet are based on normalized averages from analyses of the economic and employment impact of 22 U.S. nuclear power plants. The figures are calculated per megawatt of installed capacity and reflect a nominal 1,000-megawatt plant size. The analyses employ the IMPLAN model for estimating direct and indirect economic and employment effects of industrial activity. IMPLAN is widely used by U.S. government agencies.
