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The differences between environmental engineers and environmental program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an environmental engineer and an environmental program manager. Additionally, an environmental program manager has an average salary of $78,534, 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 an environmental program manager are environmental health, environmental compliance, and EHS.
| Environmental Engineer | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $75,718 | $78,534 |
| Hourly rate | $36.40 | $37.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 24,787 | 101,160 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 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.
An environmental program manager monitors the procedures facilities and organizations perform and advises them on how to minimize their impact on the environment. They are responsible for implementing environmental strategies to decrease damage to the environment. They also check on reports and evaluate them for issues and concerns that might need immediate attention. They monitor every facility's compliance and supervise revocation of permits of facilities that cannot follow environmental safety standards.
Environmental engineers and environmental program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Engineer | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $75,718 | $78,534 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $98,000 | Between $58,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an environmental engineer and an environmental program manager in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Engineer | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Biology |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between environmental engineers' and environmental program managers' demographics:
| Environmental Engineer | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| 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, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 12.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |