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Best states for an environmental specialist
Quoted expert
Dorceta Taylor
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for environmental specialists? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for environmental specialist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.We wanted to look at the best states for environmental specialists -- where there are plenty of environmental specialist jobs to go around and environmental specialists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for environmental specialists. Nevada is the best state for environmental specialists, where the median salary is $66,416.We found that the Northeast is best for environmental specialists, and the South is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for environmental specialist jobs, where as Nevada is the best state in the country.
10 best states for environmental specialists in 2026
1. Nevada
Total environmental specialist jobs: 159 Average annual salary: $66,416 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
2. West Virginia
Total environmental specialist jobs: 124 Average annual salary: $59,851 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
3. New Mexico
Total environmental specialist jobs: 161 Average annual salary: $58,455 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
4. California
Total environmental specialist jobs: 1,922 Average annual salary: $72,998 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1
5. North Dakota
Total environmental specialist jobs: 120 Average annual salary: $55,626 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.96
6. Ohio
Total environmental specialist jobs: 671 Average annual salary: $61,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1
7. Texas
Total environmental specialist jobs: 1,210 Average annual salary: $62,545 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
8. Oklahoma
Total environmental specialist jobs: 199 Average annual salary: $56,617 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
9. Louisiana
Total environmental specialist jobs: 216 Average annual salary: $57,427 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
10. Colorado
Total environmental specialist jobs: 308 Average annual salary: $65,339 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
Environmental specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an environmental specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an environmental specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $66,416 | $41,000 | 2,998,039 | 159 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $59,851 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 124 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $58,455 | $37,000 | 2,088,070 | 161 |
| 4 | California | $72,998 | $45,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,922 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $55,626 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 120 |
| 6 | Ohio | $61,103 | $41,000 | 11,658,609 | 671 |
| 7 | Texas | $62,545 | $40,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,210 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | $56,617 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 199 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $57,427 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 216 |
| 10 | Colorado | $65,339 | $43,000 | 5,607,154 | 308 |
| 11 | New York | $54,695 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,014 |
| 12 | Georgia | $57,560 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 624 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $57,468 | $37,000 | 693,972 | 130 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $55,959 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 427 |
| 15 | Washington | $54,951 | $37,000 | 7,405,743 | 496 |
| 16 | Delaware | $56,070 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 80 |
| 17 | Virginia | $56,588 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 626 |
| 18 | Kansas | $51,767 | $34,000 | 2,913,123 | 208 |
| 19 | Montana | $51,039 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 93 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $52,959 | $34,000 | 6,715,984 | 350 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $47,489 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 70 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $55,781 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 239 |
| 23 | Iowa | $47,138 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 356 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $47,671 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 183 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $47,189 | $33,000 | 869,666 | 80 |
| 26 | Indiana | $50,198 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 416 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $45,102 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 206 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $52,708 | $35,000 | 9,005,644 | 494 |
| 29 | Michigan | $48,317 | $33,000 | 9,962,311 | 487 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $47,053 | $34,000 | 1,342,795 | 120 |
| 31 | Maryland | $51,194 | $33,000 | 6,052,177 | 414 |
| 32 | Illinois | $50,238 | $34,000 | 12,802,023 | 660 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $49,215 | $31,000 | 2,984,100 | 115 |
| 34 | Idaho | $45,279 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 124 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $45,751 | $32,000 | 1,059,639 | 86 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $44,636 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 676 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $47,526 | $34,000 | 6,859,819 | 617 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $43,915 | $29,000 | 12,805,537 | 814 |
| 39 | Alaska | $37,987 | $31,000 | 739,795 | 127 |
| 40 | Alabama | $47,414 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 245 |
| 41 | Missouri | $47,145 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 350 |
| 42 | Florida | $42,179 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,227 |
| 43 | Connecticut | $42,670 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 253 |
| 44 | Maine | $35,666 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 138 |
| 45 | Vermont | $36,213 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 57 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $27,825 | $23,000 | 1,427,538 | 70 |
| 47 | Utah | $44,050 | $28,000 | 3,101,833 | 182 |
| 48 | Arizona | $37,816 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 399 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $42,247 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 209 |
| 50 | Oregon | $39,606 | $26,000 | 4,142,776 | 263 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $40,183 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 0 |
Highest paying states for environmental specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Environmental Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $66,416 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $59,851 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $58,455 |
| 4 | California | $72,998 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $55,626 |
| 6 | Ohio | $61,103 |
| 7 | Texas | $62,545 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | $56,617 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $57,427 |
| 10 | Colorado | $65,339 |
| 11 | New York | $54,695 |
| 12 | Georgia | $57,560 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $57,468 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $55,959 |
| 15 | Washington | $54,951 |
| 16 | Delaware | $56,070 |
| 17 | Virginia | $56,588 |
| 18 | Kansas | $51,767 |
| 19 | Montana | $51,039 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $52,959 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $47,489 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $55,781 |
| 23 | Iowa | $47,138 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $47,671 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $47,189 |
| 26 | Indiana | $50,198 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $45,102 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $52,708 |
| 29 | Michigan | $48,317 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $47,053 |
| 31 | Maryland | $51,194 |
| 32 | Illinois | $50,238 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $49,215 |
| 34 | Idaho | $45,279 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $45,751 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $44,636 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $47,526 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $43,915 |
| 39 | Alaska | $37,987 |
| 40 | Alabama | $47,414 |
| 41 | Missouri | $47,145 |
| 42 | Florida | $42,179 |
| 43 | Connecticut | $42,670 |
| 44 | Maine | $35,666 |
| 45 | Vermont | $36,213 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $27,825 |
| 47 | Utah | $44,050 |
| 48 | Arizona | $37,816 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $42,247 |
| 50 | Oregon | $39,606 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $40,183 |
Expert opinions on the best states for environmental specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for environmental specialists to find work opportunities?
Dorceta Taylor
Professor of Environmental Justice, Yale University professor
Traditionally, students have been able to find jobs in the Boston-Northern Virginia corridor, in the Southeast, in urban parts of the Midwest, and in the Pacific region. These areas will continue to be places where environmental jobs are found.
Environmental specialist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025