Post job

Environmental technician salary

Quoted expert
Shannon Farrell Ph.D.

Average environmental technician salary

$39,690

$19.08 hourly rate

Entry-level environmental technician salary
$30,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Environmental Technician Salaries

Environmental Technicians play a crucial role in monitoring and protecting the environment. As of October 2025, the average salary for these professionals is around $39,690 per year. However, salaries vary widely based on geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, technicians working in California and New York tend to earn higher wages due to the cost of living and demand for environmental services.

Entry-level positions may start at approximately $30,000, while experienced professionals can earn upwards of $50,000 annually. The highest-paying sectors include government and engineering services. Job seekers should explore opportunities in various industries to find positions with competitive salaries. Additionally, understanding specific state averages can help candidates negotiate better pay.

In summary, aspiring Environmental Technicians should consider both salary and job opportunities across different regions to make informed career decisions. The demand for skilled technicians continues to grow, making this an attractive field for new job seekers.

On this page
Environmental technician salary by: 

Let Zippi find your next environmental technician job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippi find your next environmental technician job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can an Environmental Technician earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
83k
63k
43k
23k
3k
Columbus, OH$55,848
Tampa, FL$33,499
Compare salary by company
Vs
96k
76k
56k
36k
16k
City of Detroit$70,016
Clean Harbors$46,072

Environmental technician salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor and SalaryExpert, the average salary for an environmental technician typically falls between $39,690 and $67,565.
zippia
$39,690yearly
glassdoor[1]
$49,044yearly
indeed[2]
$65,158yearly
Salary.com[3]
$62,583yearly
SalaryExpert[4]
$67,565yearly

Average environmental technician salary by state

The average environmental technician salary in Connecticut, Illinois, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average environmental technician salary states are Nebraska, Utah, and Louisiana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for environmental technicians

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$55,813$26.83
2Illinois$55,014$26.45
3Vermont$49,728$23.91
4Massachusetts$53,766$25.85
5Iowa$48,013$23.08
6New Jersey$53,633$25.79
7Delaware$52,475$25.23
8Rhode Island$51,142$24.59
9New York$51,451$24.74
10Wyoming$44,309$21.30
11Minnesota$48,688$23.41
12North Dakota$44,076$21.19
13Nevada$47,282$22.73
14Arizona$46,343$22.28
15Virginia$47,635$22.90
16Wisconsin$43,146$20.74
17Maine$42,742$20.55
18Washington$45,685$21.96
19Alaska$42,609$20.49
20West Virginia$40,610$19.52
21Pennsylvania$45,929$22.08
22California$48,422$23.28
23Ohio$44,411$21.35
24Indiana$41,856$20.12
25Oregon$46,153$22.19
26Arkansas$39,649$19.06
27Colorado$41,584$19.99
28Maryland$47,284$22.73
29District of Columbia$50,137$24.10
30Michigan$42,789$20.57
31Montana$41,079$19.75
32Idaho$42,561$20.46
33Hawaii$40,234$19.34
34Kansas$39,605$19.04
35New Hampshire$40,280$19.37
36New Mexico$39,755$19.11
37Tennessee$38,845$18.68
38Nebraska$37,253$17.91
39Kentucky$37,545$18.05
40Alabama$37,414$17.99
41Mississippi$39,046$18.77
42South Dakota$38,818$18.66
43Texas$38,986$18.74
44Missouri$38,222$18.38
45Utah$36,530$17.56
46Florida$33,299$16.01
47South Carolina$37,568$18.06
48North Carolina$37,605$18.08
49Georgia$32,273$15.52
50Louisiana$35,785$17.20
51Oklahoma$33,968$16.33

Highest paying cities for environmental technicians

The highest-paying cities for environmental technicians are Danbury, CT, San Pablo, CA, and Providence, RI.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Danbury, CT$55,848$26.85
2San Pablo, CA$51,264$24.65
3Providence, RI$51,035$24.54
4Saint Paul, MN$48,680$23.40
5Portland, OR$46,027$22.13
6Tacoma, WA$45,753$22.00
7Roanoke, VA$44,869$21.57
8South Portland, ME$43,351$20.84
9Detroit, MI$42,943$20.65
10Indianapolis, IN$41,765$20.08
11Denver, CO$41,605$20.00
12Concord, NH$39,877$19.17
13Hot Springs, AR$39,623$19.05
14Dallas, TX$39,046$18.77
15Raleigh, NC$38,205$18.37
16Omaha, NE$37,429$17.99
17Salt Lake City, UT$36,483$17.54
18Tampa, FL$33,499$16.11

Environmental Technicians are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Danbury, CT
  2. Providence, RI
  3. Saint Paul, MN
  4. Portland, OR
  5. Tacoma, WA

Environmental technician salary details

An environmental technician's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $51,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average environmental technician salary graph
Average environmental technician salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an environmental technician's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$51,000$4,250$25
75th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22
Average$39,690$3,308$19
25th Percentile$34,000$2,833$16
10th Percentile$30,000$2,500$14

Highest paying environmental technician jobs

The highest paying types of environmental technicians are audit technician, environmental scientist, and environmental specialist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Laboratory Analyst$44,024$3,669$21.1744,074
Archaeological Field Technician$41,352$3,446$19.8860,923
Surveillance Technician$41,279$3,440$19.8513,099
Field Installation Technician$40,685$3,390$19.5692,922
Environmental Engineering Internship$36,235$3,020$17.42112,274
Field Technician Engineer$50,370$4,198$24.2273,704

How would you rate the starting salaries for environmental technicians, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Shannon Farrell Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Hard to say because it varies widely between sectors. Working for a state or federal agency, non-profit, NGO, private firm, or other entity means many different things regarding what it takes to be competitive and what salary one might expect. I will say that, increasingly, in most if not all of these sectors, an MS can be an essential criterion for even near-entry level positions.

Top companies hiring environmental technicians now:

  1. Amgen jobs (20)
  2. JRMC jobs (14)
  3. Clean Harbors jobs (148)
  4. Stericycle jobs (63)
  5. Stantec jobs (13)

Which companies pay environmental technicians the most?

Environmental technician salaries at City of Detroit and Ames Construction are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average environmental technician salary at companies like Moffitt Cancer Center and LCMC Health are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1City of Detroit$70,016$33.66
2Ames Construction$55,551$26.71
3Moffitt Cancer Center$51,837$24.92
4LCMC Health$51,528$24.77
5Johns Manville$51,448$24.73
6Carnival Cruise Line$51,414$24.72
7Vanderbilt University Medical Center$51,325$24.68
8Trident Seafoods$50,186$24.13
9Boston Public Schools$49,535$23.81
10Cargill$48,344$23.24
11Pfizer$47,838$23.00
12Jacobs Engineering Group$47,697$22.93
13Smith & Nephew$47,401$22.79
14Northrop Grumman$47,200$22.69
15Republic Services$46,570$22.39
16WestRock$46,557$22.38
17American Crystal Sugar$46,505$22.36
18Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center$46,244$22.23
19Marathon Petroleum$46,140$22.18
20Clean Harbors$46,072$22.15

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$42,000$41,600$41,200$40,800$40,400$40,000
MaleFemale

Environmental Technician salary by industry

The average environmental technician salary varies across industries:

  • The average environmental technician salary in the energy industry is $43,237, the highest of any industry.
  • The average environmental technician salary in the finance industry is $40,680.
  • Environmental technicians in the professional industry earn an average salary of $38,119, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for environmental technicians

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Energy$43,237$20.79
2Manufacturing$40,680$19.56
3Health Care$40,010$19.24
4Government$39,366$18.93
5Utilities$38,831$18.67
6Professional$38,119$18.33

High paying environmental technician jobs

Environmental technician salary trends

The average environmental technician salary has risen by $4,628 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average environmental technician earned $35,062 annually, but today, they earn $39,690 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for environmental technicians over the last decade.

Compare environmental technician salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average environmental technician salary over time

Compare environmental technician salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Environmental technician salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$39,700$19.08+0.4%
2024$39,500$19.00+3.1%
2023$38,300$18.41+1.5%
2022$37,700$18.14+2.9%
2021$36,700$17.62+2.6%

Recently added environmental technician salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Dj&AEnvironmental Technician IReno, NV06/29/2025$50,088
DjandaEnvironmental Technician IReno, NV06/29/2025$50,088
AerotekEnvironmental Technician 2Providence, RI06/28/2025$35,479
MarshallAnimal Environmental TechnicianNorth Rose, NY06/28/2025$35,479
DudekEnvironmental Technician I-Aquatic Invasive Species Watercraft InspectorChico, CA06/28/2025$41,740
Triumvirate EnvironmentalEnvironmental TechnicianDanbury, CT06/28/2025$48,001
Clean HarborsEnvironmental Technician IIHawaii06/27/2025$41,740
Clean HarborsTraveling Environmental TechnicianMount Pleasant, MI06/27/2025$41,740
AerotekEnvironmental TechBrea, CA06/26/2025$37,440
PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc.Environmental Technician 2Signal Hill, CA06/26/2025$62,610

Environmental technician salary FAQs

Search for environmental technician jobs

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs