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| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 211 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 217 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 205 | 0.00% |
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,446 | $37.71 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $75,459 | $36.28 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $73,692 | $35.43 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $73,148 | $35.17 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $72,135 | $34.68 | +1.3% |
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 155 | 15% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 111 | 15% |
| 3 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 233 | 14% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 115 | 13% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 233 | 12% |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 80 | 12% |
| 7 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 322 | 11% |
| 8 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 308 | 10% |
| 9 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 213 | 10% |
| 10 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 276 | 9% |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 316 | 8% |
| 12 | Delaware | 961,939 | 16 | 2% |
| 13 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 182 | 1% |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 93 | 1% |
| 15 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 68 | 1% |
| 16 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 61 | 1% |
| 17 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 25 | 1% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 12 | 1% |
| 19 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 10 | 1% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 8 | 1% |
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz | 1 | 2% | $97,030 |
| 2 | Overland Park | 1 | 1% | $69,668 |
| 3 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $94,527 |
| 4 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $76,108 |
| 5 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $90,812 |
| 6 | Minneapolis | 1 | 0% | $74,825 |
| 7 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $96,937 |
Metropolitan State University
University of Georgia
University of South Florida
Florida Gulf Coast University
University of South Florida
Mary Whitney PhD: Graduate degrees will put you ahead in the applicant pools, and keeping up with professional certifications can keep you competitive throughout your career.
Mary Whitney PhD: In the US companies are looking for those who can help with materiality assessments, greenhouse gas auditing, and managing ESG reporting. Data collection and analysis, both quantitative and qualitative research skills, and strong writing skills are all important. You will need to know how to measure, how to analyze what your measurements mean for your plans, and how to talk about it meaningfully from the boardroom to the customer.
Mary Whitney PhD: Learn broadly – the more you know about sustainability in general, the better you will be able to make connections and build skills that will last through several jobs. Subscribe to industry newsletter and podcasts to keep up on the issues and concerning businesses. They’ll keep you current and you’ll get a better feel for how businesses talk about sustainability.
Maritza Jauregui Ph.D.: Sustainability Specialist is a fairly new type of position, so individuals who like routine, are not good communicators, are not independent, or prefer a lot of training at the workplace will not like this position. What most individuals like about this job is the feeling of making a difference and changing companies for the better from within.
Dr. Xiaolong Shao: When you just stepped out of school and enter the industry, it's best not to make ultimate decisions regarding lifetime employment too early on. Take some time to explore different fields and find what suits you best. This period is also a golden opportunity for self-improvement. Pay more attention to building your own network and reputation; years later, you'll find that these connections are your most valuable assets.
Dr. Xiaolong Shao: If you want to maximize your salary potential as a new graduate, I believe it's important to first understand the job market well. Look for positions with less competition, and don't hesitate to put your personal interests aside for the time being. Do some research about what special skills are highly valued in the industry, such as revenue management, event planning, or culinary arts. Then, enhance your credibility by obtaining different certifications or attending relevant training programs. Many higher education institutions offer excellent training and certification programs. Also, keep an eye on industry trends, build your network, and consider the economy, or political environment when choosing where to work. This is a continuous process, but the key to maximizing your salary is to spend time understanding what unique values that make you irreplaceable.
Dr. Xiaolong Shao: I believe there are many important skills that play important roles in succeeding in the hospitality industry. As a researcher who focuses on sustainable products and consumer behaviors, I can see that the hospitality industry evolves with a growing focus on sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. I believe that graduates must cultivate a diverse skill set to thrive in the field over the next 3-5 years. For example, proficiency in sustainability skills/practices, including resource management and eco-friendly technologies, is important, as well as analytical skills for assessing environmental impact and progress towards sustainability goals. Also, effective communication and stakeholder engagement are very important for garnering support for these ESG initiatives.
Tyra Byers: The field is evolving, which means it's important to be flexible and stay on top of current trends. Also, sustainability challenges cannot be solved by any one person, unit or company. Collaboration is critical in this field.
Tyra Byers: I question whether this is the key driver for employees looking to enter the sustainability field. There is growing evidence that the current generation values work that feels meaningful, and offers work life balance, as much as they value a high salary. I don't have any specific advice in terms of salary maximization.
Tyra Byers: At UGA we use a competency based approach to sustainability education. I believe it's important that sustainability professionals be able to think in systems understanding that solutions can have impacts that aren't immediately apparent and to be aware of emergent properties and leverage points. Collaboration is also critical as sustainability requires multiple units, disciplines, and departments work together to achieve goals and targets. Additionally, it's important for sustainability professionals to be able to forecast, back cast and vision, develop strategy, and understand norms and bias in addressing sustainability challenges.
University of South Florida
Sustainability Studies
Thomas Culhane: I teach our students to use every available technology – from the human hand (through our hands-on field projects) to high-powered hand-held 'smart phones' and Extensible Reality (XR/VR/AR) headsets and gaming computers, from microscopes to telescopes to microcontrollers and sensors and drone photogrammetry and LIDAR to Geographic Information Systems, CAD Systems, Mesh Modelers, and Audio-Video-Gaming Creation platforms and various Artificial Intelligence allies – all put in the service of designing and implementing and communicating sustainable development ideas.
Thomas Culhane: Since the 'job market' is considered 'competitive' students often seek salary maximization without realizing that in the sustainability field the goal is not to focus on instantaneous maxima but long-term (i.e. sustainable) high averages. My advice for anybody in our field is to 'be the nexus', BE the change you wish to see (as Gandhi exhorted), BE the 'sustainabilitist' that the world needs so that your skills are not only always in demand but are actually truly needed.
Thomas Culhane: I would (and do) give graduates the same advice my journalist father gave to my graduating class when I was young: 'Only Connect'. Dad was certain, and I am now too, that the most important career skill in general and specifically for the sustainability field is to develop and constantly strengthen your ability to connect different ideas and fields. Our PCGS program is unabashedly interdisciplinary. I teach the 'Navigating the Food Energy Water Nexus' and 'Waste Not Want Not: Reconsidering Refuse as Resource' courses, as well as being the director of our Climate Mitigation and Adaptation program and teaching science communication and technical skills through our 'Envisioning Sustainability' and 'Sustainable Design Laboratory' Courses and they ALL overlap and they all demand 'Nexus Thinking' – the ability to see the rhizomal/neuronal connections between each area of study.
Dr. Eric Otto Ph.D.: Integrated Studies degree programs operate on the idea that students who learn to pursue solutions through applying transdisciplinary, 'systems' approaches will be well-positioned to contribute in a world where everything is intertwined. So, my advice would be to bring these approaches to your career—and to your personal life, your relationships, your hobbies. Thinking beyond the boundaries of disciplines opens up lots of possibility.
Dr. Eric Otto Ph.D.: I recently heard a sustainability educator say we need to learn 'how to live in an entangled world.' I think the most adept leaders and innovators in any field will be the ones who can vision this entanglement and then approach problems, big and small, by addressing the systems within which these problems exist.
Dr. Eric Otto Ph.D.: If you are in a position where you are just starting out, then you may be flexible enough, early in your career, to dictate the terms of your future—that is, to do what you want to do, vs. what everyone else says you should do (white picket fence, etc.). What do you want for your life as a whole, not just for your career? Do whatever you need to do to maximize your potential of living that life. If you are indeed after maximum salary potential, then pursue leadership roles; and earn those roles by being a good person—listen, care, show up for people, learn new things, admit when you are wrong, celebrate others' successes. And don't forget to advocate for yourself; you know what you bring to the table!
Joseph Dorsey Ph.D.: My advice would be to show confidence in your perspective, education, training, and mission. Sustainability is still an emerging field and not understood by many in the public and other academic fields. Still, sustainability is the wave of the 21st century since we have limited resources and limited time to extend and manage these resources for the coming decades, if not centuries into the future. Over time, many people will come to realize that sustainability is not a lifestyle, but a way of life. And we all must become sustainabilitists to successfully confront the technological, environmental, economic, and social challenges that need to be addressed in all sectors and in all nations for long-term security and adaptive resiliency. So, find your niche and make the changes that are necessary to sustain human progress and foster global stewardship.