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The differences between environmental engineers and senior environmental engineers 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 a senior environmental engineer. Additionally, a senior environmental engineer has an average salary of $84,515, 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 senior environmental engineer are environmental engineering, environmental compliance, and OSHA.
| Environmental Engineer | Senior Environmental Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,718 | $84,515 |
| Hourly rate | $36.40 | $40.63 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 24,787 | 30,813 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
Senior Environmental Engineers are responsible for the supervision and implementation of processes that protect the environment intending to reduce contamination, control pollution, and optimize resource usage. They are responsible for identifying contaminant sources, managing sites assessments, carrying out technical audits, making waste-management recommendations, creating environmental impacts forecast using computer modeling and mathematical techniques as well as design technical solution to reduce an organization's negative environmental impact. They also ensure the site achieves environmental regulation compliance, keeps updated with environmental law changes, and assist in managing permits.
Environmental engineers and senior environmental engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Engineer | Senior Environmental Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,718 | $84,515 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $98,000 | Between $65,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | West Virginia |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between an environmental engineer and a senior environmental engineer in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Engineer | Senior Environmental Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between environmental engineers' and senior environmental engineers' demographics:
| Environmental Engineer | Senior Environmental Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% |
| 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, 3.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 13.0% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |