Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project scientists and environmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a project scientist, becoming an environmental specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a project scientist has an average salary of $79,073, which is higher than the $54,482 average annual salary of an environmental specialist.
The top three skills for a project scientist include data analysis, research projects and oversight. The most important skills for an environmental specialist are hazardous waste, environmental compliance, and hazardous materials.
| Project Scientist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,073 | $54,482 |
| Hourly rate | $38.02 | $26.19 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 53,045 | 18,074 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Project Scientist is responsible for conducting tests and evaluations of existing products and reporting the findings. The industries they may work in include textiles technology, polymer technology, chemical sciences, and chemical engineering.
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
Project scientists and environmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Scientist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,073 | $54,482 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $110,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Farmington, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Texas Instruments |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a project scientist and an environmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Project Scientist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between project scientists' and environmental specialists' demographics:
| Project Scientist | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% | Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 16% |