Sustainability Specialists
Address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.
- O*NET-SOC code
13-1199.05 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Sustainability Specialists separately. These are the figures for Business Operations Specialists, All Other (13-1199), its parent occupation.
Median annual wage, U.S.$83,050
Employment, U.S.1,087,090
Median hourly wage$39.93
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,880 | $62,640 | $83,050 | $114,010 | $150,010 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 6,990 | $100,240 | 0.47 |
| Alaska | 2,020 | $94,740 | 0.89 |
| Arizona | 12,210 | $83,280 | 0.54 |
| Arkansas | 8,200 | $61,240 | 0.90 |
| California | 155,000 | $87,570 | 1.22 |
| Colorado | 45,670 | $92,520 | 2.27 |
| Connecticut | 5,630 | $85,530 | 0.47 |
| Delaware | 1,600 | $95,040 | 0.47 |
| District of Columbia | 37,790 | $108,160 | 7.70 |
| Florida | 66,230 | $79,650 | 0.95 |
| Georgia | 67,450 | $78,410 | 1.97 |
| Hawaii | 4,030 | $92,620 | 0.92 |
| Idaho | 2,740 | $76,400 | 0.46 |
| Illinois | 32,940 | $82,070 | 0.77 |
| Indiana | 6,290 | $79,030 | 0.28 |
| Iowa | 9,900 | $80,470 | 0.91 |
| Kansas | 9,810 | $83,350 | 0.98 |
| Kentucky | 5,870 | $74,690 | 0.42 |
| Louisiana | 17,010 | $63,220 | 1.26 |
| Maine | 4,230 | $78,830 | 0.94 |
| Maryland | 39,820 | $101,500 | 2.06 |
| Massachusetts | 17,910 | $93,270 | 0.70 |
| Michigan | 20,940 | $81,810 | 0.68 |
| Minnesota | 16,410 | $77,820 | 0.80 |
| Mississippi | 4,130 | $76,980 | 0.51 |
| Missouri | 15,770 | $80,420 | 0.77 |
| Montana | 4,760 | $74,990 | 1.33 |
| Nebraska | 2,540 | $77,980 | 0.35 |
| Nevada | 9,140 | $67,330 | 0.84 |
| New Hampshire | 1,920 | $83,740 | 0.40 |
| New Jersey | 34,210 | $91,060 | 1.14 |
| New Mexico | 8,450 | $79,100 | 1.39 |
| New York | 28,790 | $83,450 | 0.43 |
| North Carolina | 41,180 | $80,230 | 1.19 |
| North Dakota | 1,810 | $80,500 | 0.60 |
| Ohio | 31,690 | $79,350 | 0.82 |
| Oklahoma | 5,700 | $93,640 | 0.48 |
| Oregon | 14,920 | $77,170 | 1.08 |
| Pennsylvania | 27,250 | $80,590 | 0.64 |
| Rhode Island | 2,240 | $88,130 | 0.64 |
| South Carolina | 8,910 | $79,110 | 0.55 |
| South Dakota | 940 | $85,340 | 0.30 |
| Tennessee | 11,790 | $78,690 | 0.51 |
| Texas | 104,270 | $80,820 | 1.06 |
| Utah | $80,190 | ||
| Vermont | 2,440 | $71,710 | 1.15 |
| Virginia | 45,160 | $85,200 | 1.57 |
| Washington | 51,650 | $100,360 | 2.08 |
| West Virginia | 4,070 | $69,240 | 0.83 |
| Wisconsin | 12,210 | $67,370 | 0.59 |
| Wyoming | 1,770 | $74,060 | 0.90 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief Sustainability Officers | 5 | 0.987 |
| 2 | Management Analysts | 4 | 0.965 |
| 3 | Wind Energy Development Managers | 4 | 0.963 |
| 4 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 4 | 0.961 |
| 5 | Farm and Home Management Educators | 5 | 0.957 |
| 6 | Emergency Management Directors | 4 | 0.954 |
| 7 | Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | 4 | 0.954 |
| 8 | Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 4 | 0.954 |
| 9 | Information Technology Project Managers | 4 | 0.953 |
| 10 | Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | 3 | 0.953 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Sustainability Specialists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Analysts | Operations Analysis | 1.76 | 0.965 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | Management of Material Resources | 1.25 | 0.948 |
| Landscape Architects | Operations Analysis | 1.63 | 0.947 |
| Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling | Management of Financial Resources | 1.00 | 0.947 |
| Logistics Analysts | Mathematics | 0.87 | 0.946 |
| Compliance Managers | Monitoring | 1.12 | 0.945 |
| Conservation Scientists | Science | 1.75 | 0.939 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Sustainability Specialists, excluding software Sustainability Specialists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| ESRI ArcGIS software | 8 of 20 | 4.0x |
| Microsoft Dynamics | 8 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Oracle PeopleSoft Financials | 5 of 20 | 5.6x |
| SAP Business Objects | 5 of 20 | 4.5x |
| IBM Lotus Notes | 4 of 20 | 6.6x |
| PostgreSQL | 4 of 20 | 6.0x |
| Adobe Dreamweaver | 5 of 20 | 3.9x |
| McAfee | 4 of 20 | 5.3x |
| IBM Power Systems software | 4 of 20 | 5.1x |
| Database software | 8 of 20 | 2.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Administration and Management | 3.74 | 4.48 |
| Law and Government | 3.55 | 3.91 |
| Education and Training | 3.48 | 5.17 |
| English Language | 3.48 | 4.26 |
| Building and Construction | 3.39 | 3.43 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.17 | 4.43 |
| Communications and Media | 3.09 | 3.48 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.04 | 3.61 |
| Design | 2.96 | 3.35 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.91 | 4.26 |
| Administrative | 2.91 | 3.48 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.74 | 3.87 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.74 | 3.52 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.74 | 3.26 |
| Production and Processing | 2.70 | 3.26 |
| Mathematics | 2.68 | 3.61 |
| Psychology | 2.68 | 2.95 |
| Geography | 2.61 | 3.48 |
| Transportation | 2.52 | 3.14 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Mechanical | 2.43 | 2.52 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.39 | 3.35 |
| Chemistry | 2.36 | 3.00 |
| Biology | 2.30 | 3.30 |
| Physics | 2.13 | 2.52 |
| History and Archeology | 2.13 | 2.13 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.09 | 2.57 |
| Food Production | 1.95 | 2.09 |
| Foreign Language | 1.83 | 1.70 |
| Telecommunications | 1.67 | 1.00 |
| Fine Arts | 1.43 | 0.87 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.35 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.30 | 0.87 |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Originality | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Information Ordering | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Near Vision | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Visualization | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Depth Perception | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.00 | not rated |
| Control Precision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft Power BI in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Tableau in demand
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Adobe Creative Cloud software hot
- Adobe Illustrator hot
- Adobe InDesign hot
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D hot
- Autodesk Revit hot
- Bentley MicroStation hot
- Extensible markup language XML hot
- Google Analytics hot
- JavaScript hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Oracle Database hot
- SAP software hot
- Structured query language SQL hot
- Esri ArcGIS
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Inventory management systems
- Life cycle assessment LCA software
All 38
- Microsoft Publisher
- Online database search and retrieval software
- PE INTERNATIONAL GaBi
- PE INTERNATIONAL SoFi
- PRe Consultants SimaPro
- Quark enterprise publishing software
- Social media sites
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Sustainability Specialists separately. These are the figures for Business Operations Specialists, All Other (13-1199), its parent occupation.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Robins, GA | 3,040 | 5.71 | $95,060 |
| Helena, MT | 1,420 | 4.56 | $80,410 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 2,180 | 4.41 | $136,660 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 2,360 | 3.60 | $105,250 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 76,600 | 3.49 | $104,770 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 5,570 | 3.32 | $89,370 |
| Springfield, IL | 2,170 | 3.08 | $95,990 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 4,360 | 2.87 | $82,940 |
| Boulder, CO | 3,610 | 2.68 | $94,040 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 38,800 | 2.66 | $101,920 |