Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Environmental engineer/scientist salary
Average environmental engineer/scientist salary
$78,194
Understanding the Salary of Environmental Engineers/Scientists
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Environmental Engineer/Scientist stands at $78,194 per year. Salaries for these professionals can fluctuate based on several factors, including experience, location, and sector of employment. Experience plays a crucial role, with entry-level positions typically offering lower salaries, while seasoned professionals command significantly higher pay.
Salary Variation by State
Environmental engineers/scientists in states like California and Texas often see higher salaries compared to those in other regions. The demand for skilled environmental professionals continues to grow, particularly in urban areas facing environmental challenges. This trend signals a positive outlook for job seekers in this field.
Opportunities in High-Paying Cities
Cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, and New York are known for offering competitive salaries for environmental engineers/scientists. Each city presents unique opportunities, and understanding the local job market can help candidates make informed decisions about their career paths.
Let Zippi find your next environmental engineer/scientist job
Let Zippi find your next environmental engineer/scientist job
Where can an Environmental Engineer/Scientist earn more?
Environmental engineer/scientist salaries by experience level
Average environmental engineer/scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for environmental engineers/scientist are California, Oregon, and West Virginia. The lowest average environmental engineer/scientist salary states are Vermont, Arkansas, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for environmental engineers/scientist
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $82,531 | $39.68 |
| 2 | Oregon | $87,824 | $42.22 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $82,735 | $39.78 |
| 4 | Idaho | $80,989 | $38.94 |
| 5 | California | $102,352 | $49.21 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $85,292 | $41.01 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $75,386 | $36.24 |
| 8 | Maryland | $75,454 | $36.28 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $71,725 | $34.48 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $84,370 | $40.56 |
| 11 | Colorado | $79,386 | $38.17 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $72,280 | $34.75 |
| 13 | Nevada | $79,422 | $38.18 |
| 14 | Washington | $79,980 | $38.45 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $69,771 | $33.54 |
| 16 | Arizona | $74,781 | $35.95 |
| 17 | Alaska | $70,623 | $33.95 |
| 18 | Delaware | $67,912 | $32.65 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $68,043 | $32.71 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $70,002 | $33.65 |
| 21 | Texas | $68,263 | $32.82 |
| 22 | Michigan | $69,756 | $33.54 |
| 23 | Montana | $66,284 | $31.87 |
| 24 | Illinois | $66,104 | $31.78 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $63,189 | $30.38 |
| 26 | New York | $65,436 | $31.46 |
| 27 | Utah | $64,221 | $30.88 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $65,732 | $31.60 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $57,412 | $27.60 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $60,999 | $29.33 |
| 31 | Indiana | $60,926 | $29.29 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $65,132 | $31.31 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $54,722 | $26.31 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $58,306 | $28.03 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $54,320 | $26.12 |
| 36 | Ohio | $57,808 | $27.79 |
| 37 | Kansas | $59,097 | $28.41 |
| 38 | Maine | $52,394 | $25.19 |
| 39 | Iowa | $58,788 | $28.26 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $60,520 | $29.10 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $55,898 | $26.87 |
| 42 | Vermont | $51,252 | $24.64 |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $61,253 | $29.45 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $57,653 | $27.72 |
| 45 | Alabama | $54,850 | $26.37 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $55,091 | $26.49 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $48,669 | $23.40 |
| 48 | Missouri | $45,580 | $21.91 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $51,017 | $24.53 |
| 50 | Georgia | $48,531 | $23.33 |
| 51 | Florida | $38,860 | $18.68 |
Highest paying cities for environmental engineers/scientist
The highest-paying cities for environmental engineers/scientist are San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $109,529 | $52.66 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $86,730 | $41.70 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $85,254 | $40.99 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $83,650 | $40.22 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $81,760 | $39.31 |
| 6 | University Place, WA | $80,927 | $38.91 |
| 7 | Denver, CO | $79,014 | $37.99 |
| 8 | Greenville, NC | $76,099 | $36.59 |
| 9 | Middletown, CT | $74,311 | $35.73 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $70,443 | $33.87 |
| 11 | Minneapolis, MN | $70,062 | $33.68 |
| 12 | Ann Arbor, MI | $70,035 | $33.67 |
| 13 | Ewing, NJ | $68,642 | $33.00 |
| 14 | Dallas, TX | $68,533 | $32.95 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $66,559 | $32.00 |
| 16 | New York, NY | $66,020 | $31.74 |
| 17 | Baton Rouge, LA | $64,974 | $31.24 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $63,688 | $30.62 |
| 19 | Concord, NH | $61,572 | $29.60 |
| 20 | Boston, MA | $60,815 | $29.24 |
Environmental engineer/scientist salary details
An environmental engineer/scientist's salary ranges from $49,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an environmental engineer/scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| Average | $78,194 | $6,516 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
Highest paying environmental engineer/scientist jobs
The highest paying types of environmental engineers/scientist are engineer, senior environmental engineer, and environmental engineering manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Project Coordinator | $73,371 | $6,114 | $35.27 | 112,985 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Engineering Coordinator | $57,153 | $4,763 | $27.48 | 68,514 |
| Environmental Project Manager | $78,417 | $6,535 | $37.70 | 112,963 |
| Environmental Program Manager | $78,534 | $6,544 | $37.76 | 101,160 |
| Environmental Coordinator | $61,529 | $5,127 | $29.58 | 25,334 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for environmental engineer/scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
A. Alonso Aguirre Ph.D.
Department Chair & Professor, George Mason University
Top companies hiring environmental engineers/scientist now:
Which companies pay environmental engineers/scientist the most?
Environmental engineer/scientist salaries at Vertex and Boeing are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average environmental engineer/scientist salary at companies like ERG and Fluor are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vertex | $106,684 | $51.29 |
| 2 | Boeing | $95,003 | $45.67 |
| 3 | ERG | $92,064 | $44.26 |
| 4 | Fluor Corporation | $85,867 | $41.28 |
| 5 | Pegasus | $85,724 | $41.21 |
| 6 | Woods Services | $85,437 | $41.08 |
| 7 | Amec Foster Wheeler | $83,593 | $40.19 |
| 8 | Sanborn, Head & Associates | $78,560 | $37.77 |
| 9 | Civil & Environmental Consultants | $77,542 | $37.28 |
| 10 | Fuss & O'Neill | $77,512 | $37.27 |
| 11 | Environmental Quality Management | $77,110 | $37.07 |
| 12 | Exponent | $77,009 | $37.02 |
| 13 | Fishbeck | $76,906 | $36.97 |
| 14 | ERM | $75,548 | $36.32 |
| 15 | Arcadis | $73,804 | $35.48 |
| 16 | RTI International Metals | $72,525 | $34.87 |
| 17 | Woodard & Curran | $72,472 | $34.84 |
| 18 | Langan | $71,944 | $34.59 |
| 19 | Weston & Sampson | $71,771 | $34.51 |
| 20 | Tetra Tech | $71,568 | $34.41 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Environmental Engineer/Scientist salary by industry
The average environmental engineer/scientist salary varies across industries:
- The average environmental engineer/scientist salary in the technology industry is $86,387, the highest of any industry.
- The average environmental engineer/scientist salary in the finance industry is $79,196.
- Environmental engineers/scientist in the government industry earn an average salary of $72,508, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for environmental engineers/scientist
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $86,387 | $41.53 |
| 2 | Construction | $79,196 | $38.08 |
| 3 | Energy | $75,987 | $36.53 |
| 4 | Professional | $73,335 | $35.26 |
| 5 | Government | $72,508 | $34.86 |
High paying environmental engineer/scientist jobs
Environmental engineer/scientist salary trends
The average environmental engineer/scientist salary has risen by $11,094 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average environmental engineer/scientist earned $67,100 annually, but today, they earn $78,194 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for environmental engineers/scientist over the last decade.
Compare environmental engineer/scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average environmental engineer/scientist salary over time
Compare environmental engineer/scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Environmental engineer/scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,200 | $37.59 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $75,400 | $36.26 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $74,400 | $35.76 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $73,700 | $35.42 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $72,100 | $34.64 | +0.4% |
Recently added environmental engineer/scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Environmental Engineer/Scientist (Mid-Level or Senior) | North Charleston, SC | 06/30/2025 | $109,650 |
| Barr Engineering | Environmental Engineer/Scientist-Senior Level (Hybrid) | Hibbing, MN | 06/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Barr Systems | Environmental Engineer/Scientist-Mid Level-Air Permitting and Compliance Focus (Hybrid) | Minneapolis, MN | 06/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Tetra Tech, Inc. | Mid Level Multi-Media Environmental Compliance Engineer/Scientist at Nasa Armstrong Flight Research | Edwards Air Force Base, CA | 06/26/2025 | $90,000 |
| SCS Engineers | Environmental Engineer or Scientist | Asheville, NC | 06/26/2025 | $70,000 |
| Sundance Consulting, Inc. | Environmental Engineer, Scientist, or Geologist | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $75,000 |
| True Environmental | Environmental Engineer/Environmental Scientist/Geologist | New York, NY | 06/25/2025 | $90,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Environmental Geologist, Engineer, or Scientist | Anchorage, AK | 06/20/2025 | $85,000 |
| Langan | Environmental Engineer, Scientist, or Geologist | Princeton, NJ | 06/19/2025 | $68,000 |
| TRC Companies, Inc. | Environmental Scientist/Engineer-Ambient Air | Houston, TX | 06/19/2025 | $73,902 |
Environmental engineer/scientist salary FAQs
Search for environmental engineer/scientist jobs