Updated April 6, 2023

Environmental Technician Salary Estimate

$39,690

$19.08 hourly

Entry level Salary
$30,000 yearly

How much does an Environmental Technician make?

The average salary for an environmental technician in the United States is $39,690. Environmental technician salaries typically range between $30,000 and $51,000 a year. The average hourly rate for environmental technicians is $19.08 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much an environmental technician can expect to make. Environmental technicians make the most in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for an environmental technician is $39,690 in the US.
  • The average environmental technician salary ranges between $30,000 and $51,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for environmental technicians in the US typically range between $14 and $24 an hour.
  • The average environmental technician salary is $55,813 in Connecticut, $55,014 in Illinois, and $53,766 in Massachusetts. These are the three highest-paying states for environmental technicians in the US.
  • City of Detroit has the highest average salary for environmental technicians.
  • Energy is the highest-paying industry for environmental technicians in the US.

Highest Paying States For Environmental Technicians

While an environmental technician can average a salary of $39,690 per year, or $19.08 per hour, there are many opportunities for environmental technicians to make more. For example, in Danbury, CT you might make $55,848 per year. Other high-paying locations include San Pablo, CA, Providence, RI and Saint Paul, MN. If you're in an entry-level position, your best bet is to move to Danbury, CT where the average starting salary is $36,000. The highest paying states for environmental technicians include Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Nebraska, Utah, and Louisiana offer the lowest salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Environmental Technician average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Connecticut$55,813$26.83379
2Illinois$55,014$26.45889
3Vermont$49,728$23.9174
4Massachusetts$53,766$25.85659
5Iowa$48,013$23.08351
6New Jersey$53,633$25.79582
7Delaware$52,475$25.2391
8Rhode Island$51,142$24.5977
9New York$51,451$24.74934
10Wyoming$44,309$21.3050
11Minnesota$48,688$23.41445
12North Dakota$44,076$21.1983
13Nevada$47,282$22.73141
14Arizona$46,343$22.28414
15Virginia$47,635$22.90721
16Wisconsin$43,146$20.74518
17Maine$42,742$20.55189
18Washington$45,685$21.96518
19Alaska$42,609$20.49161
20West Virginia$40,610$19.52154
21Pennsylvania$45,929$22.08719
22California$48,422$23.282,016
23Ohio$44,411$21.35603
24Indiana$41,856$20.12461
25Oregon$46,153$22.19201
26Arkansas$39,649$19.06190
27Colorado$41,584$19.99477
28Maryland$47,284$22.73375
29District of Columbia$50,137$24.1095
30Michigan$42,789$20.57423
31Montana$41,079$19.7579
32Idaho$42,561$20.46103
33Hawaii$40,234$19.3467
34Kansas$39,605$19.04187
35New Hampshire$40,280$19.37115
36New Mexico$39,755$19.11121
37Tennessee$38,845$18.68362
38Nebraska$37,253$17.91163
39Kentucky$37,545$18.05241
40Alabama$37,414$17.99297
41Mississippi$39,046$18.77124
42South Dakota$38,818$18.6656
43Texas$38,986$18.741,248
44Missouri$38,222$18.38385
45Utah$36,530$17.56229
46Florida$33,299$16.011,481
47South Carolina$37,568$18.06284
48North Carolina$37,605$18.08603
49Georgia$32,273$15.52834
50Louisiana$35,785$17.20198
51Oklahoma$33,968$16.33195

Highest Paying Cities For Environmental Technicians

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Danbury, CT$55,848$26.856
2San Pablo, CA$51,264$24.65
3Providence, RI$51,035$24.54
4Saint Paul, MN$48,680$23.401
5Portland, OR$46,027$22.131
6Tacoma, WA$45,753$22.002
7Roanoke, VA$44,869$21.571
8South Portland, ME$43,351$20.84
9Detroit, MI$42,943$20.6516
10Indianapolis, IN$41,765$20.0813
11Denver, CO$41,605$20.002
12Concord, NH$39,877$19.17
13Hot Springs, AR$39,623$19.055
14Dallas, TX$39,046$18.775
15Raleigh, NC$38,205$18.37

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Danbury, CT
  2. San Pablo, CA
  3. Providence, RI
  4. Saint Paul, MN
  5. Portland, OR

Environmental Technicians Salary Details

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 Types of Environmental Technicians

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 Specialists, As Well As The Prospects For Salary Advancement?

Deborah Aruguete Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Penn State Behrend

Starting salaries vary quite a bit because they are adjusted for the cost-of-living in a given area. I've seen as low as $40k, but in many areas of the country, that's a comfortable salary for a single person. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says, on average, annual pay is $71k. For just having a bachelor's degree, that's pretty strong, and I'd say that reflects how much one can progress. Remember that many positions for environmental scientists are with the federal, state, and local governments. These positions generally have excellent benefits and adequate job security, not reflected in the pay. Show more

Here are the five companies hiring the most 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?

According to our most recent salary estimates, City of Detroit and Ames Construction are the highest paying companies for environmental technicians.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1City of Detroit$70,016$33.6618
2Ames Construction$55,551$26.711
3Moffitt Cancer Center$51,837$24.9220
4LCMC Health$51,528$24.77
5Johns Manville$51,448$24.732
6Carnival Cruise Line$51,414$24.723
7Vanderbilt University Medical Center$51,325$24.6812
8Trident Seafoods$50,186$24.13
9Boston Public Schools$49,535$23.81
10Cargill$48,344$23.2443
11Pfizer$47,838$23.006
12Jacobs Engineering Group$47,697$22.93
13Smith & Nephew$47,401$22.79
14Northrop Grumman$47,200$22.6916
15Republic Services$46,570$22.3934
16WestRock$46,557$22.3819
17American Crystal Sugar$46,505$22.36
18Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center$46,244$22.232
19Marathon Petroleum$46,140$22.1815
20Clean Harbors$46,072$22.15185

How Much Do Environmental Technicians Make In Different Industries?

Environmental technician salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the energy, manufacturing, and health care industries tend to offer much higher salaries for environmental technicians. For example, environmental technicians make a whopping average salary of $43,237 while working in the energy industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $40,680 in the manufacturing industry and $40,010 in the health care industry.

Environmental technicians may want to avoid working in the professional industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $38,119.

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 Pay Trends

Average Environmental Technician Salary Over Time

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

    Environmental Technician Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$39,700$19.08+0.4%
    2022$39,500$19.00+3.1%
    2021$38,300$18.41+1.5%
    2020$37,700$18.14+2.9%
    2019$36,700$17.62+2.6%

    Recently Added Environmental Technician Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    Us EcologyEnvironmental TechnicianLong Beach, CA05/02/2023$48,001
    HPC IndustrialEnvironmental Technician ISan Ardo, CA05/02/2023$37,566
    AGX Inc.Environmental TechnicianKane, PA05/02/2023$37,566
    Clean HarborsEnvironmental Technician ILos Angeles, CA05/01/2023$35,062
    Sherwood Inspection Services LLCEnvironmental TechnicianSouth Windsor, CT04/30/2023$30,000
    Bodine ServicesEnvironmental TechnicianVancouver, WA04/29/2023$39,653
    Orion TalentEnvironmental TechnicianOrleans, MA04/29/2023$45,914
    State of North CarolinaEnvironmental Technician I--Temporary SolutionRaleigh, NC04/28/2023$34,436
    Clean Harbors, Inc.Environmental Technician IPottstown, PA04/26/2023$39,444
    SCS EngineersEnvironmental TechnicianJacksonville, FL04/26/2023$58,436

    Environmental Technician Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Environmental Technicians The Most?

    Connecticut pays Environmental Technicians the most in the United States, with an average salary of $55,813 per year, or $26.83 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As An Environmental Technician?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as an Environmental Technician if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Illinois you should be paid close to $55,014 per year.

    Search For Environmental Technician Jobs