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The differences between senior environmental scientists and environmental technicians 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 technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior environmental scientist has an average salary of $82,812, which is higher than the $39,690 average annual salary of an environmental technician.
The top three skills for a senior environmental scientist include environmental compliance, oversight and project management. The most important skills for an environmental technician are patients, OSHA, and hazardous materials.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $82,812 | $39,690 |
| Hourly rate | $39.81 | $19.08 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 56,184 | 43,079 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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 technician is responsible for identifying, evaluating, preventing, and controlling contamination of the environment. They study how it affects human health with the supervision of environmental engineers and environmental scientists. Environmental technicians work by monitoring the environment and look for possible sources of pollution and contamination that can possibly affect public health. They make sure that environmental violations are prevented. In addition, an environmental technician also investigates any complaint that is related to water quality, air quality, and food safety.
Senior environmental scientists and environmental technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Technician | |
| Average salary | $82,812 | $39,690 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $113,000 | Between $30,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Danbury, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Technip USA Corporation | City of Detroit |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior environmental scientist and an environmental technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior environmental scientists' and environmental technicians' demographics:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Environmental Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 8% |