Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between environmental planners 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 planner and an environmental program manager. Additionally, an environmental program manager has an average salary of $78,534, which is higher than the $71,174 average annual salary of an environmental planner.
The top three skills for an environmental planner include federal regulations, water quality and wetland delineations. The most important skills for an environmental program manager are environmental health, environmental compliance, and EHS.
| Environmental Planner | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $71,174 | $78,534 |
| Hourly rate | $34.22 | $37.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 30,227 | 101,160 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Environmental planners are in charge of performing research and analysis to reduce the environmental impact of a company's business procedures and operations. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to attain environmentally friendly operations, optimizing processes for sustainability, liaising with clients to gain perspective, and coordinating with different departments to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's environmental policies and regulations. Furthermore, as an environmental planner, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, all while addressing and resolving any issues or concerns with the subject.
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 planners and environmental program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Planner | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $71,174 | $78,534 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $95,000 | Between $58,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | West Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Santa Clara Valley Water District | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an environmental planner and an environmental program manager in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Planner | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Biology |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between environmental planners' and environmental program managers' demographics:
| Environmental Planner | Environmental Program Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 13.1% White, 68.5% 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% |