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Best states for a senior environmental scientist
Quoted expert
Murray Borrello
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Are you thinking of becoming a senior environmental scientist and really want to work at URS E&C; Holdings? Turns out, your chances to become a senior environmental scientist are better in some states than others.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of senior environmental scientists in America is $113,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for senior environmental scientists. New Jersey is the best state for senior environmental scientists, where the median salary is $100,207.We found that New Jersey is the best state for senior environmental scientist jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for senior environmental scientists in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 1,184 Average annual salary: $100,207 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.872. West Virginia
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 117 Average annual salary: $90,521 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.963. Maryland
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 981 Average annual salary: $88,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.944. Nevada
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 148 Average annual salary: $89,580 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.895. Oregon
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 346 Average annual salary: $90,588 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.056. Virginia
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 1,260 Average annual salary: $86,999 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.677. Washington
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 445 Average annual salary: $95,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.768. Delaware
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 144 Average annual salary: $85,510 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.449. New York
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 1,631 Average annual salary: $86,425 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.5910. California
Total senior environmental scientist jobs: 1,482 Average annual salary: $105,756 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
Senior environmental scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior environmental scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior environmental scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $100,207 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,184 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $90,521 | $62,000 | 1,815,857 | 117 |
| 3 | Maryland | $88,453 | $61,000 | 6,052,177 | 981 |
| 4 | Nevada | $89,580 | $61,000 | 2,998,039 | 148 |
| 5 | Oregon | $90,588 | $62,000 | 4,142,776 | 346 |
| 6 | Virginia | $86,999 | $61,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,260 |
| 7 | Washington | $95,081 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 445 |
| 8 | Delaware | $85,510 | $59,000 | 961,939 | 144 |
| 9 | New York | $86,425 | $59,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,631 |
| 10 | California | $105,756 | $73,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,482 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $105,925 | $74,000 | 693,972 | 77 |
| 12 | Texas | $87,094 | $60,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,323 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $80,074 | $57,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,003 |
| 14 | Illinois | $82,975 | $55,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,024 |
| 15 | Ohio | $80,389 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 724 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $78,282 | $53,000 | 2,088,070 | 209 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $85,419 | $57,000 | 3,930,864 | 133 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $87,571 | $59,000 | 6,859,819 | 502 |
| 19 | Georgia | $83,583 | $59,000 | 10,429,379 | 599 |
| 20 | Michigan | $81,123 | $53,000 | 9,962,311 | 461 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,145 | $52,000 | 1,342,795 | 174 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $83,940 | $58,000 | 4,684,333 | 164 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $78,330 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 351 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $76,613 | $52,000 | 1,059,639 | 119 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $74,765 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 406 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $77,311 | $63,000 | 1,427,538 | 90 |
| 27 | Alaska | $71,249 | $57,000 | 739,795 | 117 |
| 28 | Kansas | $73,613 | $49,000 | 2,913,123 | 232 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $75,582 | $49,000 | 5,576,606 | 505 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $70,821 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,154 |
| 31 | Utah | $73,064 | $48,000 | 3,101,833 | 249 |
| 32 | Colorado | $76,251 | $50,000 | 5,607,154 | 420 |
| 33 | Idaho | $71,610 | $48,000 | 1,716,943 | 151 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $65,686 | $43,000 | 579,315 | 72 |
| 35 | Montana | $68,251 | $45,000 | 1,050,493 | 122 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $73,075 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 88 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,021 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 348 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $70,575 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 146 |
| 39 | Maine | $57,047 | $39,000 | 1,335,907 | 179 |
| 40 | Missouri | $64,109 | $43,000 | 6,113,532 | 491 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $54,677 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 141 |
| 42 | Alabama | $69,337 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 197 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $54,643 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 129 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $59,129 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 522 |
| 45 | Vermont | $56,717 | $38,000 | 623,657 | 89 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $64,390 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 297 |
| 47 | Indiana | $61,995 | $42,000 | 6,666,818 | 425 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $63,698 | $44,000 | 4,454,189 | 193 |
| 49 | Iowa | $55,821 | $36,000 | 3,145,711 | 246 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $53,434 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 174 |
| 51 | Florida | $51,717 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,038 |
Highest paying states for senior environmental scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Environmental Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $100,207 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $90,521 |
| 3 | Maryland | $88,453 |
| 4 | Nevada | $89,580 |
| 5 | Oregon | $90,588 |
| 6 | Virginia | $86,999 |
| 7 | Washington | $95,081 |
| 8 | Delaware | $85,510 |
| 9 | New York | $86,425 |
| 10 | California | $105,756 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $105,925 |
| 12 | Texas | $87,094 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $80,074 |
| 14 | Illinois | $82,975 |
| 15 | Ohio | $80,389 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $78,282 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $85,419 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $87,571 |
| 19 | Georgia | $83,583 |
| 20 | Michigan | $81,123 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,145 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $83,940 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $78,330 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $76,613 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $74,765 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $77,311 |
| 27 | Alaska | $71,249 |
| 28 | Kansas | $73,613 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $75,582 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $70,821 |
| 31 | Utah | $73,064 |
| 32 | Colorado | $76,251 |
| 33 | Idaho | $71,610 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $65,686 |
| 35 | Montana | $68,251 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $73,075 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,021 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $70,575 |
| 39 | Maine | $57,047 |
| 40 | Missouri | $64,109 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $54,677 |
| 42 | Alabama | $69,337 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $54,643 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $59,129 |
| 45 | Vermont | $56,717 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $64,390 |
| 47 | Indiana | $61,995 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $63,698 |
| 49 | Iowa | $55,821 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $53,434 |
| 51 | Florida | $51,717 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior environmental scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior environmental scientists to find work opportunities?
Murray Borrello
Director and Chair, Alma College
I would say that this question may be asked, "are there any good places in the U.S. or good areas in the job market..." First, let's look at places...I am finding that students who are looking in areas that are "high-quality living" regions, like in the Rocky Mountains (Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs) or coastal areas such as Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, San Francisco - there are jobs, but there is also a lot of competition for those jobs. Where openings occur changes quite a bit, depending on population migration and the area that the work entails. For example, if you are interested in water resources (finding water, water quality issues), the Plains States and Southwest U.S. is where you are likely to find work. Actually, larger communities anywhere along the Colorado or Rio Grande River systems are pretty good bets. But in general, the kind of work will determine where you find employment. My advice to students ready to graduate is this:
Make a list of areas you want to work in. The list should be divided into three tiers - where you absolutely would love to live, where you wouldn't mind living, and an area or region where the job dictates where you live. Remember, most "first" jobs are not long-term commitments. Employees move around a lot now.
But, for those graduates who are looking for work in 2021 - 2023, I would say that environmental health is going to be the area with the most positions. Anything that can be tied with the Coronavirus, tracking infections, general statistics, and epidemiology - these skill sets and knowledge will be hugely beneficial in getting employment. Even those students who are finishing up their senior year, it might be wise to explore environmental health classes or public health classes.
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Updated January 8, 2025