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The differences between environmental protection specialists and environmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an environmental protection specialist and an environmental specialist. Additionally, an environmental protection specialist has an average salary of $59,771, which is higher than the $54,482 average annual salary of an environmental specialist.
The top three skills for an environmental protection specialist include hazardous waste, CFR and DOD. The most important skills for an environmental specialist are hazardous waste, environmental compliance, and hazardous materials.
| Environmental Protection Specialist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,771 | $54,482 |
| Hourly rate | $28.74 | $26.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 26,135 | 18,074 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The duties of an environmental protection specialist depend on their line of work or place of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around assessing and determining the level of pollution or damage in an area, gathering samples for scientific purposes, reviewing data and results, and providing recommendations to clients or government agencies. Furthermore, there are also instances where they have to summarize results and produce reports or presentations, coordinate with other specialists and scientists, and develop programs or projects to raise environmental awareness.
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
Environmental protection specialists and environmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Protection Specialist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $59,771 | $54,482 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $91,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | Texas Instruments |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an environmental protection specialist and an environmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Protection Specialist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between environmental protection specialists' and environmental specialists' demographics:
| Environmental Protection Specialist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |