How To Become An Environmental Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is an environmental analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Aaron Haines Ph.D., Certified Wildlife Biologist ®

Environmental analysts collect samples from the environment, including the water, soil, or air, to determine if the ecosystem has been affected. They monitor any damage to the environment and suggest the appropriate action to take in countering the negative effects. They study climate change and evaluate the effects of environmental factors on human health. Additionally, they create restoration plans for polluted sites. Environmental analysts raise awareness about environmental issues. Moreover, they are also called environmental scientists or specialists.

For this position, you can either have a bachelor's, master's degree, or PhD in environmental science, hydrology, or a related discipline. You must be conversant with data analysis, digital mapping, and computer modeling techniques. Proficiency in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a plus. Communication, research, and analytical skills are important for this position. Environmental analysts make an average salary of $55,631 per annum. This ranges between $38,000 and $81,000.

What general advice would you give to an environmental analyst?

Aaron Haines Ph.D., Certified Wildlife Biologist ®

Professor of Biology, Website

Having more technical skill sets can help you get entry level positions that can lead to higher pay positions. These include the ability to extract DNA from biological samples and understand the process of DNA sequencing, be familiar with geographical information systems (GIS) software such as ArcPro, ArcGIS, QGIS, be familiar with programming language such as Phyton and R statical programming, and government policies that impact your field of study.

Be a member of a professional organization and attend their conferences. This will allow you the opportunity to learn from others, network, and meet potential future employers.

ScoreEnvironmental AnalystUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,795

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 5.03%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 6.19%

Unknown 3.68%

White 81.24%

Gender

female 47.58%

male 52.42%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an environmental analyst

Explore environmental analyst education requirements

Most common environmental analyst degrees

Bachelor's

74.8 %

Master's

15.7 %

Associate

5.5 %

Start to develop specific environmental analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Hazardous Waste	8.77%
Environmental Compliance	5.62%
Data Analysis	5.62%
EPA	5.60%
PowerPoint	5.28%

Complete relevant environmental analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New environmental analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an environmental analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real environmental analyst resumes.

Research environmental analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage MSDS database of raw materials for manufacturing, EHS equipment supply, and project invoices.
Manage and conduct various environmental engineering projects at DOD facilities.
Implement compliance programs for TSCA and RCRA including personnel training.
Develop AWTS, waste characterizations, maintain RCRA records, etc.

Get environmental analyst experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an environmental analyst. The most common roles before becoming an environmental analyst include internship, research assistant team lead and environmental scientist.

Prepare your environmental analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your environmental analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an environmental analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable environmental analyst resume templates

Build a professional environmental analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your environmental analyst resume.

Apply for environmental analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an environmental analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do environmental analysts rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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1 star

Environmental analyst reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2021

Pros

Firstly, the most important is to protect our planet for us and the future generations. Secondly our planet is not going to support the pressure and negative impacts because of the big Increased human population . Finally our planet needs more and more environmental specialists to regulate and control all human activities, especially the ilegal ones.

Cons

I don’t like when big companies they know what’s wrong and what’s right, but still the destroy, like cutting trees in Brazil and the other side big companies even knowing those trees are ilegal, but still they continuing to porches. There for I can’t understand and I don’t like.

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020