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The differences between environmental engineers and chemical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chemical engineer has an average salary of $89,449, which is higher than the $75,718 average annual salary of an environmental engineer.
The top three skills for an environmental engineer include environmental compliance, project management and OSHA. The most important skills for a chemical engineer are chemistry, technical support, and co-op.
| Environmental Engineer | Chemical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,718 | $89,449 |
| Hourly rate | $36.40 | $43.00 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 24,787 | 42,176 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
Environmental engineers use the principles of science, biology, engineering, and chemistry to create solutions to certain environmental problems. They primarily work to improve waste disposal, public health, recycling, and to control water and air pollution. It is also their responsibility to address global issues, such as climate change, unsafe drinking water, and environmental sustainability. They typically prepare and review environmental investigation reports so that documents and permits are updated and in compliance with environmental regulations.
A chemical engineer provides support for chemical operations and testing new processes. The processes they successfully come up with are used to make different products from gas, oil, food, and drink. It is their job to assist in designing new chemical processes and make improvements. They implement fresh ideas to improve standard quality and efficiency. They must be good planners and schedulers of project activities to help chemical technicians to achieve their project objectives and provide technical support to maintain safe, stable, and reliable operations.
Environmental engineers and chemical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Engineer | Chemical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,718 | $89,449 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $98,000 | Between $67,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sugar Land, TX |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | Texas |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between an environmental engineer and a chemical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Engineer | Chemical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between environmental engineers' and chemical engineers' demographics:
| Environmental Engineer | Chemical Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.9% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 21.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |