Careers / Sustainability Specialists

Sustainability Specialists — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$83,050

United States, 2025

Employment

1,087,090

United States, 2025

Typical education

Bachelor's Degree

Job Zone 4

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.

O*NET code
13-1199.05
Job zone
4
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals.
  • Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling.
  • Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance.
  • Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues.
  • Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies.
  • Develop reports or presentations to communicate the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives.
  • Create or maintain plans or other documents related to sustainability projects.
  • Collect information about waste stream management or green building practices to inform decision makers.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$47,880
10th
$62,640
25th
$83,050
Median
$114,010
75th
$150,010
90th

10th percentile

$47,880

25th percentile

$62,640

75th percentile

$114,010

90th percentile

$150,010

Most important skills

  • Speaking4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Systems Evaluation3.3
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Coordination3.3
  • Learning Strategies3.1

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 18 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

18

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

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Speaking4.04.1Not selected4.1
Reading Comprehension4.04.1Not selected4.1
Writing4.04.1Not selected4.1
Active Listening3.94.0Not selected4.0
Critical Thinking3.94.0Not selected4.0
Complex Problem Solving3.63.6Not selected3.6
Judgment and Decision Making3.63.6Not selected3.6
Monitoring3.53.5Not selected3.5
Systems Evaluation3.33.6Not selected3.6
Coordination3.33.5Not selected3.5
Active Learning3.33.4Not selected3.4
Systems Analysis3.13.3Not selected3.3
Social Perceptiveness3.13.3Not selected3.3
Persuasion3.13.3Not selected3.3
Learning Strategies3.13.1Not selected3.1
Instructing3.03.0Not selected3.0
Negotiation3.03.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Lexington Park, MD$136,6602,1802025
Huntsville, AL$124,9503,1002025
San Jose, CA$108,33011,9702025
DC$108,16037,7902025
Bremerton, WA$105,2502,3602025
Washington, DC$104,77076,6002025
San Francisco, CA$104,50023,4002025
Dayton, OH$102,6604,3702025
Seattle, WA$101,92038,8002025
MD$101,50039,8202025
Gettysburg, PA$101,5001102025
Kennewick, WA$101,3801,1202025
WA$100,36051,6502025
AL$100,2406,9902025
Bridgeport, CT$98,6501,2802025
Boston, MA$98,34014,2302025
Baltimore, MD$98,06016,4002025
Odessa, TX$97,7203602025
San Diego, CA$96,58015,6902025
Crestview, FL$96,1002,0102025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Sustainability Specialists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career 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.