Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between environmental engineers and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an environmental engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an environmental engineer has an average salary of $75,718, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for an environmental engineer include environmental compliance, project management and OSHA. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Environmental Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,718 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $36.40 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 24,787 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
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 Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Environmental engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,718 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $98,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between an environmental engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between environmental engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Environmental Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 5% |