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Environmental compliance specialist salary

Quoted expert
Shannon Farrell Ph.D.

Average environmental compliance specialist salary

$59,335

$28.53 hourly rate

Entry-level environmental compliance specialist salary
$42,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Environmental Compliance Specialist Salary

The average salary for an Environmental Compliance Specialist stands at $59,335 per year, translating to about $29 per hour. Various factors influence these figures, including geographic location, sector, and years of experience.

Salary Variations by State

Compensation can significantly differ based on the state. For instance, specialists in California and New York often see higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for environmental oversight.

Experience Levels Matter

Entry-level positions may start lower, but as professionals gain experience, their earning potential increases. Specialists with several years of experience can command salaries well above the average, making it a lucrative field for those committed to environmental compliance.

Industry Opportunities

Environmental Compliance Specialists find roles in various sectors, from government agencies to private corporations, offering diverse job opportunities. This career path not only contributes to environmental protection but also promises a rewarding salary structure.

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Where can an Environmental Compliance Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
104k
84k
64k
44k
24k
Columbus, OH$77,893
Columbus, OH$53,609
Compare salary by company
Vs
116k
96k
76k
56k
36k
Huntsman$94,731
Mohawk Industries$66,331

Environmental compliance specialist salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level environmental compliance specialist$40,500$19.47
Mid-level environmental compliance specialist$61,500$29.56
Senior-level environmental compliance specialist$102,000$48.92

Environmental compliance specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for an environmental compliance specialist typically falls between $59,335 and $100,000.
zippia
$59,335yearly
indeed[1]
$83,057yearly
comparably[2]
$100,000yearly
Salary.com[3]
$80,873yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$62,250yearly
payscale[5]
$68,367yearly

Average environmental compliance specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for environmental compliance specialists are California, Alaska, and New Jersey. The lowest average environmental compliance specialist salary states are Iowa, South Dakota, and Georgia.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for environmental compliance specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Alaska$71,696$34.47
2Nevada$66,123$31.79
3California$73,176$35.18
4Delaware$64,247$30.89
5New Jersey$70,643$33.96
6District of Columbia$69,523$33.42
7Massachusetts$63,802$30.67
8New York$63,365$30.46
9Texas$63,890$30.72
10Pennsylvania$62,205$29.91
11Maryland$67,889$32.64
12Virginia$63,966$30.75
13West Virginia$59,867$28.78
14Illinois$62,054$29.83
15Connecticut$62,055$29.83
16Wyoming$56,876$27.34
17Arizona$59,463$28.59
18Oregon$61,802$29.71
19Rhode Island$60,710$29.19
20Indiana$59,571$28.64
21North Carolina$57,540$27.66
22North Dakota$55,407$26.64
23Louisiana$58,695$28.22
24Alabama$59,406$28.56
25Mississippi$58,661$28.20
26Vermont$57,034$27.42
27Minnesota$57,382$27.59
28Missouri$58,027$27.90
29Washington$58,068$27.92
30Florida$56,163$27.00
31Tennessee$56,403$27.12
32Hawaii$56,622$27.22
33Michigan$56,234$27.04
34New Hampshire$55,632$26.75
35Nebraska$51,493$24.76
36Montana$52,700$25.34
37Idaho$54,619$26.26
38Ohio$53,675$25.81
39Colorado$57,566$27.68
40Iowa$49,932$24.01
41Kentucky$54,081$26.00
42Wisconsin$52,237$25.11
43Maine$48,882$23.50
44New Mexico$51,923$24.96
45South Carolina$54,782$26.34
46Kansas$52,460$25.22
47Utah$51,412$24.72
48Arkansas$46,094$22.16
49South Dakota$49,780$23.93
50Georgia$49,557$23.83
51Oklahoma$48,922$23.52
Top environmental compliance specialist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for environmental compliance specialists

The highest-paying cities for environmental compliance specialists are Cupertino, CA, Washington, DC, and Annapolis, MD.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Cupertino, CA$77,893$37.45
2Washington, DC$69,532$33.43
3Annapolis, MD$68,130$32.75
4San Antonio, TX$64,403$30.96
5Richmond, VA$63,820$30.68
6New York, NY$63,750$30.65
7Boston, MA$63,557$30.56
8Harrisburg, PA$62,092$29.85
9Portland, OR$61,887$29.75
10Columbus, IN$59,686$28.70
11Montgomery, AL$59,642$28.67
12Phoenix, AZ$59,491$28.60
13Baton Rouge, LA$58,852$28.29
14Seattle, WA$58,608$28.18
15Fort Collins, CO$57,401$27.60
16Urban Honolulu, HI$56,664$27.24
17Ann Arbor, MI$56,287$27.06
18Bismarck, ND$55,490$26.68
19Richmond, KY$54,440$26.17
20Columbus, OH$53,609$25.77

Environmental compliance specialist salary details

An environmental compliance specialist's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $82,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average environmental compliance specialist salary graph
Average environmental compliance specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an environmental compliance specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$82,000$6,833$39
75th Percentile$70,000$5,833$34
Average$59,335$4,945$29
25th Percentile$49,000$4,083$24
10th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20

Highest paying environmental compliance specialist jobs

The highest paying types of environmental compliance specialists are environmental health safety manager, environmental engineer, and environmental consultant.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Environmental Health Safety Manager$85,594$7,133$41.1576,277
Compliance Analyst$59,108$4,926$28.4226,138
Environmental Manager$67,747$5,646$32.5718,037
Environmental Engineer$75,718$6,310$36.4024,787
Environmental Inspector$43,952$3,663$21.1333,791
Environmental Consultant$74,913$6,243$36.0221,723

How would you rate the starting salaries for environmental compliance specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Shannon Farrell Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Hard to say because it varies widely between sectors. Working for a state or federal agency, non-profit, NGO, private firm, or other entity means many different things regarding what it takes to be competitive and what salary one might expect. I will say that, increasingly, in most if not all of these sectors, an MS can be an essential criterion for even near-entry level positions.

Top companies hiring environmental compliance specialists now:

  1. American Tower jobs (3)
  2. BD jobs (3)
  3. Battelle jobs (3)
  4. Covanta jobs (3)
  5. Arcadis jobs (3)

Which companies pay environmental compliance specialists the most?

Environmental compliance specialist salaries at Huntsman and BD are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average environmental compliance specialist salary at companies like Supermicro and Parsons are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Huntsman$94,731$45.54
2BD$86,065$41.38
3Supermicro$85,552$41.13
4Parsons$85,141$40.93
5Booz Allen Hamilton$83,257$40.03
6Los Alamos National Laboratory$82,038$39.44
7Jacobs Engineering Group$78,946$37.95
8American Water$77,536$37.28
9HDR$76,207$36.64
10Louis Berger$76,152$36.61
11Wsp USA Buildings Inc.$74,863$35.99
12Black & Veatch$74,055$35.60
13Kern Community College District$72,516$34.86
14Gresham Smith$71,929$34.58
15Cummins$71,101$34.18
16Leidos$69,755$33.54
17ERG$69,049$33.20
18Energy Transfer$67,891$32.64
19Nashville International Airport$67,570$32.49
20Mohawk Industries$66,331$31.89

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$60,000$59,200$58,400$57,600$56,800$56,000
MaleFemale

Environmental Compliance Specialist salary by industry

The average environmental compliance specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average environmental compliance specialist salary in the utilities industry is $85,164, the highest of any industry.
  • The average environmental compliance specialist salary in the finance industry is $73,988.
  • Environmental compliance specialists in the government industry earn an average salary of $53,201, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for environmental compliance specialists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Utilities$85,164$40.94
2Technology$73,988$35.57
3Professional$72,627$34.92
4Health Care$65,532$31.51
5Energy$65,254$31.37
6Manufacturing$62,168$29.89
7Government$53,201$25.58

High paying environmental compliance specialist jobs

Environmental compliance specialist salary trends

The average environmental compliance specialist salary has risen by $8,646 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average environmental compliance specialist earned $50,689 annually, but today, they earn $59,335 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for environmental compliance specialists over the last decade.

Compare environmental compliance specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average environmental compliance specialist salary over time

Compare environmental compliance specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Environmental compliance specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$59,300$28.53+2.9%
2024$57,600$27.70+0.3%
2023$57,500$27.63+1.4%
2022$56,600$27.23+2.0%
2021$55,500$26.70+1.4%

Recently added environmental compliance specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Windstream CommunicationsEnvironmental Compliance Specialist IIJackson, MS06/30/2025$63,400
Windstream CommunicationsEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistCheyenne, WY06/30/2025$63,400
Calista BriceEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistHope, ME06/28/2025$70,000
GPM InvestmentsEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistCoopersville, MI06/27/2025$50,000
State of LouisianaEnvironmental Impact Specialist or 3-Environmental Compliance SpecialistNoble, LA06/27/2025$38,172
Medtronic Inc.Environmental Compliance SpecialistNorth Haven, CT06/26/2025$74,400
Oneok, Inc.Environmental Professional III-Air ComplianceHouston, TX06/21/2025$96,000
State of MinnesotaWastewater Compliance and Enforcement-Environmental Specialist 3Duluth, MN06/21/2025$64,310
Baker CommoditiesEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistVernon, CA06/20/2025$103,000
City of Baltimore, MdEnvironmental Compliance Specialist I, Engineering Associate I-Department of Public WorksBaltimore, MD06/20/2025$50,797

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