JobAfterNext

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$82,220
Employment, U.S.89,250
Median hourly wage$39.53
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$52,520$64,490$82,220$107,970$140,010
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama870$72,4900.72
Alaska860$91,9604.59
Arizona1,970$80,6001.06
Arkansas270$57,2200.36
California12,490$106,5101.19
Colorado2,580$85,9901.56
Connecticut620$82,0700.64
Delaware290$64,6901.04
District of Columbia1,270$132,6203.15
Florida5,950$60,8301.04
Georgia1,750$85,7100.62
Hawaii670$79,5101.85
Idaho670$70,3501.36
Illinois1,550$81,5900.44
Indiana1,290$64,7000.70
Iowa690$78,7800.77
Kansas590$78,2100.72
Kentucky1,000$71,0400.87
Louisiana1,600$69,8201.44
Maine530$66,4801.45
Maryland1,760$84,1901.11
Massachusetts2,930$100,6401.40
Michigan3,100$76,0801.23
Minnesota2,260$88,0001.34
Mississippi390$57,7800.58
Missouri1,380$61,0500.82
Montana570$80,2601.94
Nebraska510$64,0400.87
Nevada490$83,0500.55
New Hampshire480$80,8101.23
New Jersey3,150$79,2101.28
New Mexico940$86,6301.88
New York3,700$82,1600.67
North Carolina4,150$74,1301.46
North Dakota240$84,5700.96
Ohio2,460$78,5400.77
Oklahoma520$75,9100.53
Oregon1,370$97,4401.21
Pennsylvania3,020$76,1100.87
Rhode Island330$100,7301.15
South Carolina490$74,9100.37
South Dakota240$68,2300.91
Tennessee1,230$76,8400.65
Texas5,630$92,0000.70
Utah1,020$90,7101.02
Vermont490$77,4602.79
Virginia2,850$82,2301.21
Washington4,470$98,3002.19
West Virginia250$82,1000.63
Wisconsin920$72,8200.54
Wyoming410$74,0502.55

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.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Environmental Compliance Inspectors40.974
2Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers40.971
3Natural Sciences Managers50.969
4Soil and Plant Scientists50.965
5Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists40.965
6Microbiologists40.965
7Environmental Restoration Planners50.963
8Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health40.962
9Biologists50.960
10Range Managers40.958

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health, 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.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Environmental Compliance InspectorsQuality Control Analysis0.760.974
Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site ManagersManagement of Financial Resources1.500.971
Clinical Data ManagersProgramming1.240.954
Regulatory Affairs SpecialistsPersuasion0.880.945
Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsQuality Control Analysis0.760.944
Food Scientists and TechnologistsQuality Control Analysis1.260.942
ChemistsQuality Control Analysis0.760.940
Environmental Engineering Technologists and TechniciansQuality Control Analysis0.760.939
Validation EngineersOperations Analysis1.120.939
Quality Control Systems ManagersQuality Control Analysis1.500.936

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health, excluding software Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 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.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
R12 of 205.4x
Python12 of 204.2x
SAS11 of 204.3x
Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST4 of 2030.8x
The MathWorks MATLAB9 of 203.7x
Clinical trial management software3 of 2046.2x
PHYLIP3 of 2034.6x
HEC-RAS3 of 2015.4x
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP5 of 204.7x
Linux7 of 202.6x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.00 4.75
WritingEssential skill 4.00 4.62
ScienceEssential skill 4.00 4.50
Active ListeningEssential skill 4.00 4.25
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 4.12
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 4.00 4.00
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 3.88 4.25
Active LearningEssential skill 3.75 4.00
MonitoringEssential skill 3.62 4.00
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.62 3.50
MathematicsEssential skill 3.25 4.12
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.25 3.75
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.25 3.75
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.25 3.62
InstructingTransferable skill 3.12 3.75
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.12 3.50
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 3.12 3.12
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.00 3.62
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.00 3.50
Service OrientationTransferable skill 3.00 3.12
NegotiationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
PersuasionTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 2.62 2.88
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 2.62 2.62
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 2.38 3.00
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 2.12 2.25
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.12 2.12
ProgrammingTransferable skill 2.00 2.38
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 2.00 2.00
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 2.00 2.00
Technology DesignTransferable skill 1.88 1.50
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.00not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
English Language 4.51 4.34
Biology 3.86 4.24
Customer and Personal Service 3.68 4.02
Law and Government 3.52 3.43
Computers and Electronics 3.43 4.20
Public Safety and Security 3.30 3.50
Chemistry 3.21 3.18
Administrative 3.10 4.26
Mathematics 3.09 3.31
Education and Training 3.07 3.49
Administration and Management 3.00 3.29
Geography 2.90 3.13
Physics 2.64 3.13
Engineering and Technology 2.62 3.44
Communications and Media 2.52 2.47
Transportation 2.47 1.64
Telecommunications 2.31 1.52
Mechanical 2.26 1.81
Production and Processing 2.07not rated
Design 2.03 2.69
Sociology and Anthropology 1.84 1.37
Economics and Accounting 1.81 1.45
Personnel and Human Resources 1.75 1.37
Building and Construction 1.72 0.90
History and Archeology 1.59 1.02
Sales and Marketing 1.58 1.61
Psychology 1.40 0.78
Foreign Language 1.31 0.50
Food Production 1.23not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.20not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.16not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.15not rated
Fine Arts 1.02not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Comprehension 4.12 5.00
Written Comprehension 4.12 5.00
Problem Sensitivity 4.12 4.62
Deductive Reasoning 4.12 4.12
Oral Expression 4.00 4.88
Inductive Reasoning 4.00 4.62
Written Expression 4.00 4.50
Category Flexibility 3.88 4.00
Information Ordering 3.88 4.00
Speech Clarity 3.75 3.75
Speech Recognition 3.75 3.75
Flexibility of Closure 3.38 3.75
Near Vision 3.38 3.50
Fluency of Ideas 3.12 3.62
Mathematical Reasoning 3.12 3.62
Originality 3.12 3.62
Far Vision 3.12 3.25
Number Facility 3.00 3.62
Selective Attention 2.88 3.12
Speed of Closure 2.75 3.00
Memorization 2.75 2.75
Perceptual Speed 2.62 2.88
Time Sharing 2.62 2.62
Visual Color Discrimination 2.62 2.62
Visualization 2.50 2.75
Hearing Sensitivity 2.12 2.00
Auditory Attention 2.00 2.00
Depth Perception 2.00 2.00
Finger Dexterity 1.88 1.50
Multilimb Coordination 1.88 1.50
Spatial Orientation 1.88 1.38
Control Precision 1.75 1.50
Arm-Hand Steadiness 1.75 1.38
Glare Sensitivity 1.75 0.88
Manual Dexterity 1.75 0.88
Trunk Strength 1.62 0.88
Night Vision 1.62 0.75
Peripheral Vision 1.62 0.62
Reaction Time 1.50 0.75
Extent Flexibility 1.50 0.50
Gross Body Coordination 1.50 0.50
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.50 0.50
Rate Control 1.50 0.50
Response Orientation 1.50 0.50
Sound Localization 1.50 0.50
Dynamic Strength 1.38 0.50
Speed of Limb Movement 1.38 0.38
Static Strength 1.38 0.38
Stamina 1.25not rated
Explosive Strength 1.12not rated
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 61
  • EarthSoft EQuIS Geology
  • Ecotech WinAQMS
  • Ecotech WinCollect
  • Emissions tracking software
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Geomechanical design analysis GDA software
  • Golden Software Surfer
  • Graphics software
  • Hotspot
  • Laboratory information management system LIMS
  • Lakes Environmental EcoRisk View
  • Lakes Environmental Emissions View
  • Lakes Environmental ISC-AERMOD View
  • Lakes Environmental SLAB View
  • Link Microtek
  • MIRS Compliance
  • Mapping software
  • Material safety data sheet MSDS software
  • Microsoft SharePoint Server
  • RSA RadCalc
  • Rad Pro Calculator
  • RockWare ArcMap
  • Smart Data Solutions RS Solutions
  • SmugMug Flickr
  • SoundPLAN
  • Statistical software
  • Sun Microsystems Java
  • TANKS
  • Tucows ChemBase
  • Web browser software
  • Wolfel IMMI

Where it concentrates

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 areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Helena, MT2108.41$81,940
Boulder, CO7706.99$65,260
Trenton-Princeton, NJ9506.89$78,010
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA5006.62$86,700
Fairbanks-College, AK1306.31$88,640
Jefferson City, MO2806.15$59,760
Tallahassee, FL6506.08$53,910
Cheyenne, WY1605.81$75,430
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA3,5205.67$108,430
Anchorage, AK5004.89$90,960

More metros, other thresholds