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Environmental health specialist salary
Average environmental health specialist salary
$54,789
Understanding the Environmental Health Specialist Salary
The average salary for an Environmental Health Specialist is approximately $54,789 per year or $26 per hour. Salaries vary based on numerous factors, including location, experience level, and the specific industry of employment. For instance, specialists in California often earn significantly more than those in other states due to higher living costs and demand for environmental expertise.
States with the Highest Salaries
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Florida
Additionally, professionals in sectors such as government, healthcare, and environmental consulting typically command higher wages. The role often involves conducting assessments and developing strategies to mitigate health risks, making it crucial in public health initiatives. As awareness of environmental issues grows, so do the career opportunities in this field, making it an excellent choice for those passionate about health and the environment.
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Where can an Environmental Health Specialist earn more?
Environmental health specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average environmental health specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for environmental health specialists are Alaska, Washington, and New Jersey. The lowest average environmental health specialist salary states are Alabama, Arkansas, and North Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for environmental health specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $65,959 | $31.71 |
| 2 | Alaska | $73,786 | $35.47 |
| 3 | Michigan | $59,384 | $28.55 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $63,574 | $30.56 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $57,775 | $27.78 |
| 6 | Washington | $69,663 | $33.49 |
| 7 | Vermont | $58,041 | $27.90 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $63,507 | $30.53 |
| 9 | California | $65,366 | $31.43 |
| 10 | Utah | $62,409 | $30.00 |
| 11 | Delaware | $63,619 | $30.59 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $61,340 | $29.49 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $68,692 | $33.02 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $60,486 | $29.08 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $54,852 | $26.37 |
| 16 | South Dakota | $57,565 | $27.68 |
| 17 | Oregon | $63,785 | $30.67 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $56,800 | $27.31 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $62,673 | $30.13 |
| 20 | New York | $63,785 | $30.67 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $60,105 | $28.90 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $57,862 | $27.82 |
| 23 | Maine | $57,431 | $27.61 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $54,049 | $25.99 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $61,507 | $29.57 |
| 26 | Idaho | $52,454 | $25.22 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $52,904 | $25.43 |
| 28 | Ohio | $50,764 | $24.41 |
| 29 | Indiana | $49,969 | $24.02 |
| 30 | Colorado | $56,899 | $27.36 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $51,368 | $24.70 |
| 32 | Maryland | $55,775 | $26.81 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $52,309 | $25.15 |
| 34 | Iowa | $48,241 | $23.19 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $47,979 | $23.07 |
| 36 | Virginia | $53,897 | $25.91 |
| 37 | Arizona | $49,802 | $23.94 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $47,015 | $22.60 |
| 39 | Montana | $52,443 | $25.21 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $50,284 | $24.18 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $46,977 | $22.59 |
| 42 | Illinois | $53,018 | $25.49 |
| 43 | Kansas | $48,123 | $23.14 |
| 44 | Georgia | $51,926 | $24.96 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $47,385 | $22.78 |
| 46 | Missouri | $47,712 | $22.94 |
| 47 | Alabama | $47,021 | $22.61 |
| 48 | Texas | $49,245 | $23.68 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $46,819 | $22.51 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $46,199 | $22.21 |
| 51 | Florida | $42,916 | $20.63 |
Highest paying cities for environmental health specialists
The highest-paying cities for environmental health specialists are Santa Rosa, CA, Seattle, WA, and Reno, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CA | $71,142 | $34.20 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $70,047 | $33.68 |
| 3 | Reno, NV | $69,194 | $33.27 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $63,860 | $30.70 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $61,566 | $29.60 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $60,539 | $29.11 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $60,433 | $29.05 |
| 8 | Fort Collins, CO | $57,227 | $27.51 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $53,222 | $25.59 |
| 10 | Caldwell, ID | $52,661 | $25.32 |
| 11 | Madison, WI | $52,337 | $25.16 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $52,327 | $25.16 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $50,024 | $24.05 |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | $49,916 | $24.00 |
| 15 | Austin, TX | $49,384 | $23.74 |
| 16 | Raleigh, NC | $47,761 | $22.96 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $47,664 | $22.92 |
| 18 | Little Rock, AR | $46,888 | $22.54 |
| 19 | Boca Raton, FL | $42,926 | $20.64 |
Environmental health specialist salary details
An environmental health specialist's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $77,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an environmental health specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 75th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
| Average | $54,789 | $4,566 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,000 | $3,750 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying environmental health specialist jobs
The highest paying types of environmental health specialists are environmental health safety manager, radiation safety officer, and plant safety leader.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety Officer | $46,336 | $3,861 | $22.28 | 68,487 |
| Safety Trainer | $45,097 | $3,758 | $21.68 | 35,032 |
| Safety Instructor | $29,977 | $2,498 | $14.41 | 38,602 |
| Safety And Training Coordinator | $43,367 | $3,614 | $20.85 | 43,362 |
| Safety Advisor | $55,939 | $4,662 | $26.89 | 53,425 |
| Safety Inspector | $48,765 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 30,193 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for environmental health specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Shannon Farrell Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Top companies hiring environmental health specialists now:
Which companies pay environmental health specialists the most?
Environmental health specialist salaries at ICU Medical and Nike are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average environmental health specialist salary at companies like Nikola Motor and The Dow Chemical Company are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICU Medical | $102,683 | $49.37 |
| 2 | Nike | $87,994 | $42.30 |
| 3 | Nikola Motor | $86,401 | $41.54 |
| 4 | The Dow Chemical Company | $86,074 | $41.38 |
| 5 | Bayer | $85,417 | $41.07 |
| 6 | Tesla | $84,801 | $40.77 |
| 7 | Medtronic | $84,712 | $40.73 |
| 8 | SMUD | $81,161 | $39.02 |
| 9 | Santa Clara Valley Water District | $81,133 | $39.01 |
| 10 | Sensata | $79,946 | $38.44 |
| 11 | Abbott | $79,638 | $38.29 |
| 12 | Plug Power | $79,367 | $38.16 |
| 13 | City of Detroit | $78,427 | $37.71 |
| 14 | Meggitt PLC | $77,883 | $37.44 |
| 15 | Bio-Rad Laboratories | $76,014 | $36.55 |
| 16 | Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc | $72,999 | $35.10 |
| 17 | ONE Gas | $72,765 | $34.98 |
| 18 | Praxair | $72,096 | $34.66 |
| 19 | Bunge | $71,129 | $34.20 |
| 20 | Medline | $70,670 | $33.98 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Environmental Health Specialist salary by industry
The average environmental health specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average environmental health specialist salary in the manufacturing industry is $62,998, the highest of any industry.
- The average environmental health specialist salary in the finance industry is $61,206.
- Environmental health specialists in the government industry earn an average salary of $56,176, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for environmental health specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $62,998 | $30.29 |
| 2 | Technology | $61,206 | $29.43 |
| 3 | Finance | $59,567 | $28.64 |
| 4 | Government | $56,176 | $27.01 |
High paying environmental health specialist jobs
Environmental health specialist salary trends
The average environmental health specialist salary has fallen by $-5,409 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average environmental health specialist earned $60,198 annually, but today, they earn $54,789 a year. That works out to a -15% change in pay for environmental health specialists over the last decade.
Compare environmental health specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average environmental health specialist salary over time
Compare environmental health specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Environmental health specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,800 | $26.34 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $52,900 | $25.43 | -25.4% |
| 2023 | $66,300 | $31.89 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $65,200 | $31.35 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $64,400 | $30.97 | +1.0% |
Recently added environmental health specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Laval | Environmental Health & Safety Specialist (Quality) | Richmond, VA | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| Relativity | Lead, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Specialist | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $121,000 |
| Aerotek | Environmental Health and Safety Specialist-Direct | Phoenix, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| State of Virginia | Environmental Health Specialist | Enon, VA | 06/28/2025 | $42,000 |
| Adams County | Environmental Health Specialist | Commerce City, CO | 06/28/2025 | $60,594 |
| Lexington-Fayette County Health Dept | Environmental Health Specialist 3218 (Environmental Health) | Lexington, KY | 06/27/2025 | $72,168 |
| State of Georgia | PH Environmental Health Compliance Specialist or 3 | Marietta, GA | 06/27/2025 | $46,632 |
| County of Riverside, Ca | Environmental Health Specialist Junior II or III Coachella Valley | Palm Springs, CA | 06/27/2025 | $78,625 |
| GS2 | B Corp™ | Environmental Health Safety Specialist | Santa Rosa, CA | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Kavlico Corporation | Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS) | Thousand Oaks, CA | 06/26/2025 | $86,800 |
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