Environmental Scientists and Specialists
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Overview
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($76K): Multidisciplinary or General Science
Largest undergraduate program (26.2% of workers): Geology and Earth Science
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
EnvironmentalSpecialistAnalystClimateScientistChangeEcologistAssessorSeniorEnergyPolicyRiskPlannerIndustrialAssociateResearchResearcherDevelopmentConsultantEcologicalDesignerHealthProtectionSystemsHabitatPollutionClinicalConservationSafetyEngineerRestorationCoordinatorEnvironmentalistGlobalMarineNaturalResourcesComplianceWaterAirAquaticCleanLaboratoryCoastalEstuaryCumulativeEffectsEcoModelerProfessionalBusinessPlanningProgramsActivistAgencyCounselorFisheriesForestGreenhouseGasHazardousSubstancesGreenRetrofitLifeCycleAssessmentResourceControlChemistProductRegionalRegisteredREHSProgramAdvisorStaffSubstanceFlowAnalysisSFASustainabilitySustainableWatershedWildlifeBiostation
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Responsibilities and activities

Environmental scientists and specialists typically do the following:

  • Determine data collection methods for research projects, investigations, and surveys
  • Collect and compile environmental data from samples of air, soil, water, food, and other materials for scientific analysis
  • Analyze samples, surveys, and other information to identify and assess threats to the environment
  • Develop plans to prevent, control, or fix environmental problems, such as land or water pollution
  • Provide information and guidance to government officials, businesses, and the general public on possible environmental hazards and health risks
  • Prepare technical reports and presentations that explain their research and findings

Environmental scientists and specialists analyze environmental problems and develop solutions to them. For example, many environmental scientists and specialists work to reclaim lands and waters that have been contaminated by pollution. Others assess the risks that new construction projects pose to the environment and make recommendations to governments and businesses on how to minimize the environmental impact of these projects. Environmental scientists and specialists may do research and provide advice on manufacturing practices, such as advising against the use of chemicals that are known to harm the environment.

The federal government and many state and local governments have regulations to ensure that there is clean air to breathe and safe water to drink, and that there are no hazardous materials in the soil. The regulations also place limits on development, particularly near sensitive ecosystems, such as wetlands. Environmental scientists and specialists who work for governments ensure that the regulations are followed. Other environmental scientists and specialists work for consulting firms that help companies comply with regulations and policies.

Some environmental scientists and specialists focus on environmental regulations that are designed to protect people’s health, while others focus on regulations designed to minimize society’s impact on the ecosystem. The following are examples of types of specialists:

Climate change analysts study effects on ecosystems caused by the changing climate. They may do outreach education activities and grant writing typical of scientists.

Environmental health and safety specialists study how environmental factors affect human health. They investigate potential environmental health risks. For example, they may investigate and address issues arising from soil and water contamination caused by nuclear weapons manufacturing. They also educate the public about health risks that may be present in the environment.

Environmental restoration planners assess polluted sites and determine the cost and activities necessary to clean up the area.

Industrial ecologists work with industry to increase the efficiency of their operations and thereby limit the impacts these activities have on the environment. They analyze costs and benefits of various programs, as well as their impacts on ecosystems.

Other environmental scientists and specialists perform work and receive training similar to that of other physical or life scientists, but they focus on environmental issues. For example, environmental chemists study the effects that various chemicals have on ecosystems. To illustrate, they may study how acids affect plants, animals, and people. Some areas in which they work include waste management and the remediation of contaminated soils, water, and air.

Many people with backgrounds in environmental science become postsecondary teachers or high school teachers.

Salary
Median salary: $73,230 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $55,210 and $98,120.
$73K$0$50K$100K$150K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for environmental scientists and specialists
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$83K$99K$62K$53K$94K$76K$75K$83K$36K$0$50K$100K$150K$200K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
01K2K3K4K5K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Environmental Scientists and Specialists
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of environmental scientists and specialists who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Time Pressure (47%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Environmental Scientists and Specialists? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Analytical skills
Environmental scientists and specialists base their conclusions on careful analysis of scientific data. They must consider all possible methods and solutions in their analyses.
Communication skills
Environmental scientists and specialists may need to present and explain their findings to audiences of varying backgrounds and write technical reports.
Interpersonal skills
Environmental scientists and specialists typically work on teams along with scientists, engineers, and technicians. Team members must be able to work together effectively to achieve their goals.
Problem-solving skills
Environmental scientists and specialists try to find the best possible solution to problems that affect the environment and people’s health.
Self-discipline
Environmental scientists and specialists may spend a lot of time working alone. They need to stay motivated and get their work done without supervision.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by environmental scientists and specialists
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), environmental scientists and specialists typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as environmental scientists and specialists as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for environmental scientists and specialists

Environmental scientists and specialists can become Certified Hazardous Materials Managers through the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. This certification, which must be renewed every 5 years, shows that an environmental scientist or specialist is staying current with developments relevant to the occupation’s work. In addition, the Ecological Society of America offers several levels of certification for environmental scientists who wish to demonstrate their proficiency in ecology.

Education level of Environmental Scientists and Specialists
About 100% of environmental scientists and specialists have at least a bachelor's degree.
Education attained by environmental scientists and specialists
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 98% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
  1. Geology and Earth Science
  2. Environmental Science
  3. Biology
  4. Natural Resources Management
  5. Geosciences
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College majors held by environmental scientists and specialists
This table shows the college majors held by people working as environmental scientists and specialists. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
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Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
$52K$72K
Salary for bachelor's-only
For people with this career and major
Median
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Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
Median
Middle 50%
Middle 80%
Education for Career and Major
Bachelor's
Master's
Professional
Doctorate
Workers with this career/major
Percentage in this career with this major
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The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as environmental scientists and specialists, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
Expand degrees
Geology and Earth Sc...Environmental Scienc...BiologyNatural Resources Ma...GeosciencesChemistryGeographyMultidisciplinary or...General BusinessBusiness Management ...All other degreesThis jobTop 10 majors
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Environmental Scientists and Specialists per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most environmental scientists and specialists? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as environmental scientists and specialists. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where environmental scientists and specialists earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for environmental scientists and specialists compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for environmental scientists and specialists.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which environmental scientists and specialists earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Environmental Scientists and Specialists (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
7% of Environmental scientists and specialists are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 7% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 67% of careers.
7%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of environmental scientists and specialists by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$70K$55K$96K$74K$91K$72K$62K$0$50,000$100,000$150,000Self-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedFederal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Environmental scientists and specialists and gender
With 42% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 54% of careers.
Gender of Environmental scientists and specialists
Men (58%)
Women (42%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$63K$74K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
42%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for environmental scientists and specialists, with the median salary for men 18% higher than the median salary for women.
18%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Environmental scientists and specialists
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Environmental scientists and specialists.
Race/origin of environmental scientists and specialists
White (88% )
Asian (6% )
Black (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
Other (0% )
Hispanic (0% )
American Indian (0% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$63K$70K$70K$0$50K$100K$150K$200KBlackAsianWhite
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.