U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
PRINT:Print
OEWS OEWS Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

19-2041 Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or the health of the population. 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. Excludes "Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists" (19-1023), "Conservation Scientists" (19-1031), "Forest and Conservation Technicians" (19-4093), "Fish and Game Wardens" (33-3031), and "Forest and Conservation Workers" (45-4011).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
80,480 1.3 % $37.30 $77,580 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $20.44 $25.76 $34.20 $45.47 $59.91
Annual Wage (2) $42,520 $53,580 $71,130 $94,590 $124,620

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 19,510 1.35 $37.77 $78,570
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 19,240 0.88 $32.04 $66,650
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 10,070 0.18 $34.51 $71,770
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 9,870 0.68 $36.97 $76,900
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 4,860 0.24 $50.39 $104,820

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 19,510 1.35 $37.77 $78,570
Social Advocacy Organizations 2,220 1.03 $32.44 $67,470
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 19,240 0.88 $32.04 $66,650
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 9,870 0.68 $36.97 $76,900
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 580 0.52 $43.97 $91,450

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers 80 0.01 $63.98 $133,070
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 40 0.10 $57.10 $118,770
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 4,860 0.24 $50.39 $104,820
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 40 0.15 $50.38 $104,790
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,460 0.06 $46.14 $95,970

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 12,750 0.75 1.35 $44.18 $91,890
Florida 4,920 0.57 1.03 $28.26 $58,790
New York 4,400 0.47 0.84 $38.15 $79,340
Texas 4,170 0.34 0.62 $38.88 $80,880
North Carolina 3,790 0.86 1.55 $31.18 $64,850




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,600 2.24 4.04 $55.38 $115,190
Alaska 670 2.12 3.81 $38.57 $80,220
Wyoming 470 1.76 3.16 $33.15 $68,940
New Mexico 1,180 1.46 2.62 $41.92 $87,200
Vermont 380 1.26 2.26 $31.94 $66,440




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,600 2.24 4.04 $55.38 $115,190
Colorado 2,930 1.12 2.01 $44.72 $93,010
California 12,750 0.75 1.35 $44.18 $91,890
New Mexico 1,180 1.46 2.62 $41.92 $87,200
Virginia 3,150 0.82 1.48 $41.13 $85,550





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4,320 0.46 0.82 $39.49 $82,140
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,980 1.27 2.28 $50.31 $104,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,060 0.50 0.90 $43.80 $91,110
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 2,640 2.68 4.82 $42.74 $88,910
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,600 1.07 1.93 $50.33 $104,690
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,620 0.81 1.47 $43.74 $90,980
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,600 0.58 1.04 $41.29 $85,870
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 1,500 1.09 1.97 $34.52 $71,790
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,440 0.73 1.32 $37.05 $77,070
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 1,370 0.93 1.67 $46.63 $96,990