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The differences between environmental scientists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an environmental scientist, becoming a scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $60,208 average annual salary of an environmental scientist.
The top three skills for an environmental scientist include environmental compliance, data collection and GIS. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Environmental Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,208 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $28.95 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 56,425 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Environmental scientists are responsible for analyzing environmental issues and creating their solutions. They protect the environment together with human health by using their understanding of natural science. It is their job to advise policy-makers, work with industry professionals to reduce waste, and clean up polluted areas. Also, they assess environmental risks and research to guide businesses, government administrators, as well as the general public on probable environmental threats and health risks. Additionally, they ensure that these entities follow the environmental regulations and policies to help minimize their environmental impact on the ecosystem.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Environmental scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $60,208 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $84,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an environmental scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between environmental scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Environmental Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 8% |