Careers / Environmental Engineers
Environmental Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$107,110
United States, 2025
Employment
38,340
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.
- O*NET code
- 17-2081.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Obtain, update, or maintain plans, permits, or standard operating procedures.
- Direct installation or operation of environmental monitoring devices or supervise related data collection programs.
- Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
- Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
- Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
- Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
- Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
- Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$69,990
25th percentile
$83,570
75th percentile
$134,420
90th percentile
$162,220
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Science3.4
- Mathematics3.4
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Science | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Mathematics | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
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Compare with Environmental EngineersSupplemental
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Compare with Environmental EngineersSupplemental
National median $82,220
Compare with Environmental EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Coral, FL | $142,700 | 50 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $141,560 | 100 | 2025 |
| Redding, CA | $140,570 | 40 | 2025 |
| Kennewick, WA | $140,060 | 390 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $138,840 | 550 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $138,700 | 40 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $138,000 | 170 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $136,640 | 30 | 2025 |
| Beaumont, TX | $135,240 | 80 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $133,240 | 1,200 | 2025 |
| LA | $130,510 | 340 | 2025 |
| CA | $130,410 | 4,550 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $130,270 | 30 | 2025 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $129,780 | 60 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $129,390 | 1,040 | 2025 |
| Decatur, AL | $129,290 | 50 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $128,410 | 1,050 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $127,900 | 890 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $127,340 | 690 | 2025 |
| Columbus, OH | $127,190 | 130 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Environmental Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.