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The differences between senior environmental scientists and environmental consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior environmental scientist, becoming an environmental consultant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior environmental scientist has an average salary of $82,812, which is higher than the $74,913 average annual salary of an environmental consultant.
The top three skills for a senior environmental scientist include environmental compliance, oversight and project management. The most important skills for an environmental consultant are environmental compliance, OSHA, and technical reports.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $82,812 | $74,913 |
| Hourly rate | $39.81 | $36.02 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 56,184 | 21,723 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A senior environmental scientist specializes in conducting studies to identify environmental problems and develop solutions to improve its condition. The daily responsibilities of a senior environmental scientist often depend on their place of employment. Still, they typically include performing research and analysis, conducting observations and interviews, gathering samples, preparing documentation, and spearheading laboratory experiments and procedures. Through their research findings, they must produce reports and presentations along with appropriate recommendations. Furthermore, as a senior scientist, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior scientists while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
An Environmental Consultant provides assessment and advisory services for their clients on matters regarding the management of environmental issues. They are generally hired by consultancy firms, which are hired by the public sector or commercial organizations.
Senior environmental scientists and environmental consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Consultant | |
| Average salary | $82,812 | $74,913 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $113,000 | Between $56,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Technip USA Corporation | ConocoPhillips |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior environmental scientist and an environmental consultant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior environmental scientists' and environmental consultants' demographics:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Consultant | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 13% |