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The differences between environmental engineers and scientists 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 scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, 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 scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Environmental Engineer | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $75,718 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $36.40 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 24,787 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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 scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Environmental engineers and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Engineer | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $75,718 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $98,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an environmental engineer and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Engineer | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between environmental engineers' and scientists' demographics:
| Environmental Engineer | Scientist | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |