There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an environmental protection officer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.47 an hour? That's $38,426 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 7,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does an Environmental Protection Officer Do

There are certain skills that many environmental protection officers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and problem-solving skills.

How To Become an Environmental Protection Officer

If you're interested in becoming an environmental protection officer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 81.3% of environmental protection officers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.3% of environmental protection officers have master's degrees. Even though most environmental protection officers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Environmental Protection Officer Jobs Near You

Average Salary for an Environmental Protection Officer

Environmental Protection Officers in America make an average salary of $38,426 per year or $18 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $59,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $24,000 per year.
Average Environmental Protection Officer Salary
$38,426 Yearly
$18.47 hourly

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Roles and Types of Environmental Protection Officer

There are several types of environmental protection officer, including:

Compliance Analyst

Role:

Compliance analysts are also known as compliance managers. As a compliance analyst, you are to ensure that the operations and procedures of an organization meet the compliance standard of industry and government. Also, you are to research industry compliance regulations and policies. The evaluation of internal operational and procedural compliance is also part of your responsibilities.

In addition, you must be able to communicate compliance guidelines and policies to designated departments and management. The development and execution of new compliance procedures and policies as required is also something you are expected to do. Furthermore, you are expected to train employees on industry compliance requirements.

Usually, compliance analysts study finance, accounting, or business. To be a compliance analyst, you must hold a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in any of these relevant fields. You will make an average salary of $62,437 per year.

  • Average Salary: $59,108
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Environmental Inspector

Role:

Environmental inspectors, sometimes called environmental compliance inspectors, make sure that companies are following environmental laws and protection standards. They usually work for government agencies and conduct regular audits to make sure that companies are following laws around safe waste disposal and resource use.

During their inspections, environmental inspectors collect and test samples and install machinery that automatically tests facilities such as drainage systems. When they're not in the field, environmental inspectors take care of administrative tasks such as checking company permits and writing reports about their findings. They usually need an extensive background in studying the environment and excellent organizational and communication skills to get to the bottom of potential environmental regulation violations.

Most environmental inspectors have a bachelor's degree in environmental science. However, it is possible to do this job with only a high school diploma and some practical experience. Environmental inspectors earn an average salary of $51,444 a year. However, before they can work as environmental inspectors they usually need some professional experience in manufacturing and compliance, for example as utility inspectors.
  • Average Salary: $43,952
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Environmental Compliance Inspector

Role:

Is protecting the environment important to you? If so, then you may find a job as an environmental compliance inspector to be extremely rewarding. In this role, you will play a critical role in preventing the contamination and pollution of the water we drink and the air we breathe. You'll get a chance to investigate complaints of suspected violations of pollution control laws, such as illegal dumping and excessive emissions. You will investigate complaints of suspected violations of pollution control laws, such as illegal dumping and excessive emissions.

In addition to investigating suspected violations, you'll review licenses and permits and verify that the permit holders are abiding by the requirements and regulations. You'll also inspect waste disposal and treatment facilities to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Some other duties you may perform are collecting waste, water, and soil samples, investigating specific complaints of suspected violations, educating businesses on environmental laws, and documenting findings of potential violations. If a violation is uncovered, the inspector also determines what corrective action should be taken, which may include issuing citations or other legal action.

If a job in this field sounds appealing, you'll need to earn a Bachelor's degree in environmental science, natural resource management, environmental law, biology, chemistry, or in a related field. You'll also need good time management skills to conduct investigations and sample analysis within a given time frame as well as a passionate interest in preserving the environment.
  • Average Salary: $51,859
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Environmental Protection Officer Jobs

Number Of Environmental Protection Officer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas2,855$39,590
2New York2,412$39,686
3Pennsylvania1,858$39,034
4Illinois1,851$40,098
5California1,752$50,221
6Georgia1,649$28,246
7Massachusetts1,557$39,862
8North Carolina1,446$33,571
9New Jersey1,436$44,305
10Ohio1,386$33,316
11Minnesota1,249$39,003
12Washington1,121$34,318
13Maryland1,043$42,549
14Michigan1,031$36,184
15Arizona1,009$35,933
16Colorado942$35,983
17Tennessee917$32,689
18Florida916$32,933
19Indiana893$36,935
20Wisconsin837$34,719
21Missouri823$35,269
22Alabama623$34,059
23South Carolina611$28,692
24Oregon569$37,512
25Iowa549$32,240
26Connecticut516$38,667
27Louisiana456$34,006
28Oklahoma454$28,946
29Nevada437$39,668
30Kentucky422$32,006
31Virginia410$39,225
32Idaho393$34,146
33Kansas380$32,122
34Mississippi374$33,783
35Arkansas358$26,852
36Nebraska345$32,791
37New Mexico343$31,169
38New Hampshire264$35,486
39Maine251$33,209
40Rhode Island227$37,618
41West Virginia205$36,383
42North Dakota202$38,052
43South Dakota135$33,419
44Utah120$32,018
45Vermont106$38,153
46Hawaii73$39,961
47Alaska65$43,237
48Montana57$34,152
49Delaware43$40,511
50Wyoming29$36,638

Environmental Protection Officer Education

Environmental Protection Officer Majors

8.7 %
8.7 %

Environmental Protection Officer Degrees

Bachelors

81.3 %

Doctorate

6.3 %

Masters

6.3 %

Top Colleges for Environmental Protection Officers

1. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

Admissions

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

Admissions

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

Admissions

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

Admissions

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

Admissions

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions

10. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

Admissions

Environmental Protection Officer Demographics

Environmental Protection Officer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
81%
Female
Female
19%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among environmental protection officers, 19.2% of them are women, while 80.8% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among environmental protection officers is White, which makes up 68.2% of all environmental protection officers.

  • The most common foreign language among environmental protection officers is Korean at 100.0%.

Online Courses For Environmental Protection Officer That You May Like

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1. Environmental Hazards and Global Public Health

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The second course of the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health specialization will explore a number of different environmental hazards. These are: air pollution, water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, and two physical hazards (radon and noise). These hazards each have the potential to harm human health, and we will explore how you may come into contact with these hazards and how they may harm you, as well as what we can do to minimize these exposures and health impacts. We...

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2. Global Environmental Management

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Learn about the best environmental technologies for a sustainable development and how they are managed in various settings around the world. This course gives you an opportunity to learn about global trends that influence our environment and the living conditions and how different management systems and approaches that are used around the world to manage the environment. This includes current environmental technologies built for the environment and technologies for sustainable soil management,...

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3. Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy

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Environmental law may be the one institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations. This course considers these issues and provides a tour though existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk. Note: The Environmental Law & Policy Course will close for new learner enrollment on February 22,...

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Top Environmental Protection Officer Employers

Most Common Employers For Environmental Protection Officer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1City of San Antonio$70,050$33.683
2State of Connecticut$53,658$25.803
3National Planning Holdings$43,726$21.021
4West Coast Choppers$39,504$18.992
5United States Army Corps of Engineers$37,149$17.863
6Law Enforcement Labor Services$33,757$16.231
7Us Navy$33,406$16.061
8U.s. Coast Guard$33,394$16.053
9Sheehan Pipe Line Construction Co.$33,324$16.021
10NYC & Company$30,564$14.691

Environmental Protection Officer Videos