Average sustainability major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$55,980

$28,00010%

$55,980Median

$108,00090%

What is the average sustainability major salary in the US?

Sustainability major graduates in America make, on average, $55,980 a year or $26.91 per hour.If you are in the top 10 percent, you will make over $108,000; however, if you are in the bottom 10 percent, you will earn less than $28,000 per year.Most jobs for sustainability majors are in technology companies and professional companies.States with the highest salaries for sustainability major graduates include Connecticut, New Jersey, Alaska, California, and New York.

Best paying cities

$69,494

$68,892

$67,744

Average sustainability salary by company

Sustainability major graduates report their job security as good. But just as in every field, some employers pay higher wages than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for sustainability majors are in technology companies and professional companies.The two companies that report the highest salaries for sustainability major graduates are Meta and Microsoft.In addition, companies like McKinsey & Company Inc and DLA Piper report highly competitive salaries for sustainability major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average sustainability salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$125,647
2	2.Microsoft	4.8	$123,132
3	3.McKinsey & Company Inc	4.6	$121,994
4	4.DLA Piper	4.9	$121,059
5	5.Google	4.8	$118,916
6	6.Citi	4.6	$112,291
7	7.Bloomberg	4.8	$109,510
8	8.JPMorgan Chase & Co.	4.8	$102,264
9	9.New Relic	4.8	$99,243
10	10.Tesla	4.6	$94,170
11	11.Verint	4.8	$88,855
12	12.Booz Allen Hamilton	4.9	$87,463
13	13.Accenture	4.7	$86,361
14	14.Edward Jones	4.5	$84,392
15	15.Deloitte	4.7	$83,647
16	16.Acxiom	4.7	$82,644
17	17.Fisher Investments	3.9	$79,281
18	18.Cedars-Sinai	4.8	$79,079
19	19.General Dynamics Mission Systems	4.9	$79,065
20	20.IDEO	4.5	$77,264

Average sustainability major salary by city

Across America, sustainability major graduates make on average $55,980 annually or $26.91 hourly.The city with the highest salaries for sustainability major graduates is San Francisco, CA at $69,494 per year.The San Francisco, CA average entry-level salary for sustainability majors is $35,000.Washington, DC, Hartford, CT, Arlington, VA, New York, NY, Boston, MA, and Baltimore, MD are the best cities for sustainability major graduates looking for a higher than average salary.The highest earning states when it comes to salaries for sustainability major graduates are Connecticut, New Jersey, Alaska, California, and New York.Alabama, Wyoming, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma are at the bottom for competitive pay.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average sustainability salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$69,494	$37k $99k
2	Washington, DC	$68,892	$37k $99k
3	Hartford, CT	$67,744	$37k $99k
4	Arlington, VA	$66,888	$37k $99k
5	New York, NY	$66,613	$37k $99k
6	Boston, MA	$65,143	$37k $99k
7	Baltimore, MD	$64,731	$37k $99k
8	Columbus, OH	$60,866	$37k $99k
9	Detroit, MI	$60,393	$37k $99k
10	Philadelphia, PA	$58,251	$37k $99k
11	Las Vegas, NV	$57,950	$37k $99k
12	San Antonio, TX	$57,710	$37k $99k
13	Phoenix, AZ	$57,681	$37k $99k
14	Chicago, IL	$57,635	$37k $99k
15	Seattle, WA	$57,011	$37k $99k
16	Richmond, KY	$56,188	$37k $99k
17	Albany, OR	$56,011	$37k $99k
18	Portland, ME	$55,105	$37k $99k
19	Saint Paul, MN	$54,952	$37k $99k
20	Raleigh, NC	$53,540	$37k $99k

Average sustainability major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where sustainability majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Sustainability major average salary by state

State	Average sustainability major salary	Average hourly rate
Connecticut	$68,159	$32.77
New Jersey	$66,766	$32.10
Alaska	$66,670	$32.05
California	$66,478	$31.96
New York	$66,460	$31.95
Virginia	$65,346	$31.42
Massachusetts	$65,212	$31.35
Maryland	$64,471	$31.00
Rhode Island	$63,040	$30.31
West Virginia	$63,009	$30.29
Delaware	$62,475	$30.04
New Hampshire	$62,220	$29.91
Ohio	$61,448	$29.54
Michigan	$59,955	$28.82
Vermont	$58,245	$28.00
Nevada	$58,151	$27.96
Arizona	$57,675	$27.73
Pennsylvania	$57,650	$27.72
New Mexico	$57,513	$27.65
Illinois	$57,202	$27.50
Texas	$56,869	$27.34
Washington	$56,712	$27.27
North Dakota	$56,482	$27.15
Louisiana	$56,141	$26.99
Kentucky	$55,809	$26.83
Oregon	$55,748	$26.80
Minnesota	$54,781	$26.34
Hawaii	$54,693	$26.29
Maine	$54,421	$26.16
Idaho	$53,537	$25.74
Montana	$53,002	$25.48
South Dakota	$52,706	$25.34
Mississippi	$52,564	$25.27
North Carolina	$52,421	$25.20
South Carolina	$52,326	$25.16
Arkansas	$52,208	$25.10
Utah	$52,207	$25.10
Georgia	$52,152	$25.07
Tennessee	$51,574	$24.80
Colorado	$51,499	$24.76
Wisconsin	$51,382	$24.70
Nebraska	$51,023	$24.53
Indiana	$50,715	$24.38
Iowa	$50,691	$24.37
Alabama	$49,539	$23.82
Wyoming	$49,377	$23.74
Missouri	$48,688	$23.41
Kansas	$48,083	$23.12
Oklahoma	$48,006	$23.08
Florida	$45,926	$22.08

Highest paying jobs for sustainability majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Scientist	$97,343	62,467
2	Solutions Consultant	$94,838	103,093
3	Solar Sales Consultant	$84,739	28,317
4	Energy Consultant	$81,907	17,538
5	Environmental Engineer/Scientist	$78,193	56,460
6	Environmental Engineer	$75,718	24,787
7	Environmental Consultant	$74,912	21,723
8	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
9	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
10	Energy Analyst	$74,084	14,743
11	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
12	Environmental Planner	$71,174	30,227
13	Research Analyst	$70,231	81,374
14	Account Executive	$69,618	205,561
15	Designer	$66,346	52,433
16	Quality Specialist	$65,230	80,316
17	Sustainability Consultant	$64,239	14,470
18	Planner	$63,160	15,269
19	Environmental Analyst	$60,794	17,018
20	Environmental Scientist	$60,208	56,425

Average sustainability major salary by industry

Wages for sustainability major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our data shows that finance companies, technology companies, and utilities companies tend to have the highest salaries for sustainability major graduates.finance companies pay sustainability major graduates the highest wages, averaging $88,908 per year. Technology companies and utilities companies pay well too, at $82,110 and $74,326, respectively.The types of companies that pay sustainability majors the least are in the manufacturing industry, where the average annual salary is $48,603.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average sustainability major salary	Range
1	Finance	$88,908	$34k $106k
2	Technology	$82,110	$34k $106k
3	Utilities	$74,326	$34k $106k
4	Real Estate	$66,348	$34k $106k
5	Energy	$63,030	$34k $106k
6	Health Care	$61,100	$34k $106k
7	Education	$60,611	$34k $106k
8	Professional	$50,602	$34k $106k
9	Government	$49,806	$34k $106k
10	Manufacturing	$48,603	$34k $106k

Salary history for sustainability major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Sustainability major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Human Computer Interaction	$101,662	$32k $124k
2	Science, Technology, And Society	$82,793	$32k $124k
3	Cognitive Science	$71,238	$32k $124k
4	Mathematics And Computer Science	$71,005	$32k $124k
5	Accounting And Computer Science	$70,056	$32k $124k
6	Human Biology	$62,686	$32k $124k
7	Gerontology	$62,213	$32k $124k
8	Natural Sciences	$56,001	$32k $124k
9	Dispute Resolution	$54,638	$32k $124k
10	Conflict Resolution	$52,921	$32k $124k
11	Nutrition Science	$50,295	$32k $124k
12	Interdisciplinary Studies	$48,373	$32k $124k
13	Historic Preservation And Conservation	$47,992	$32k $124k
14	Global Studies	$47,349	$32k $124k
15	Classical And Ancient Studies	$46,158	$32k $124k
16	Marine Sciences	$44,925	$32k $124k
17	Museum Studies	$43,319	$32k $124k
18	Behavioral Sciences	$42,314	$32k $124k