Industrial Ecologists
Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-2041.03 - Preparation Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Industrial Ecologists separately. These are the figures for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health (19-2041), its parent occupation.
Median annual wage, U.S.$82,220
Employment, U.S.89,250
Median hourly wage$39.53
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $52,520 | $64,490 | $82,220 | $107,970 | $140,010 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 870 | $72,490 | 0.72 |
| Alaska | 860 | $91,960 | 4.59 |
| Arizona | 1,970 | $80,600 | 1.06 |
| Arkansas | 270 | $57,220 | 0.36 |
| California | 12,490 | $106,510 | 1.19 |
| Colorado | 2,580 | $85,990 | 1.56 |
| Connecticut | 620 | $82,070 | 0.64 |
| Delaware | 290 | $64,690 | 1.04 |
| District of Columbia | 1,270 | $132,620 | 3.15 |
| Florida | 5,950 | $60,830 | 1.04 |
| Georgia | 1,750 | $85,710 | 0.62 |
| Hawaii | 670 | $79,510 | 1.85 |
| Idaho | 670 | $70,350 | 1.36 |
| Illinois | 1,550 | $81,590 | 0.44 |
| Indiana | 1,290 | $64,700 | 0.70 |
| Iowa | 690 | $78,780 | 0.77 |
| Kansas | 590 | $78,210 | 0.72 |
| Kentucky | 1,000 | $71,040 | 0.87 |
| Louisiana | 1,600 | $69,820 | 1.44 |
| Maine | 530 | $66,480 | 1.45 |
| Maryland | 1,760 | $84,190 | 1.11 |
| Massachusetts | 2,930 | $100,640 | 1.40 |
| Michigan | 3,100 | $76,080 | 1.23 |
| Minnesota | 2,260 | $88,000 | 1.34 |
| Mississippi | 390 | $57,780 | 0.58 |
| Missouri | 1,380 | $61,050 | 0.82 |
| Montana | 570 | $80,260 | 1.94 |
| Nebraska | 510 | $64,040 | 0.87 |
| Nevada | 490 | $83,050 | 0.55 |
| New Hampshire | 480 | $80,810 | 1.23 |
| New Jersey | 3,150 | $79,210 | 1.28 |
| New Mexico | 940 | $86,630 | 1.88 |
| New York | 3,700 | $82,160 | 0.67 |
| North Carolina | 4,150 | $74,130 | 1.46 |
| North Dakota | 240 | $84,570 | 0.96 |
| Ohio | 2,460 | $78,540 | 0.77 |
| Oklahoma | 520 | $75,910 | 0.53 |
| Oregon | 1,370 | $97,440 | 1.21 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,020 | $76,110 | 0.87 |
| Rhode Island | 330 | $100,730 | 1.15 |
| South Carolina | 490 | $74,910 | 0.37 |
| South Dakota | 240 | $68,230 | 0.91 |
| Tennessee | 1,230 | $76,840 | 0.65 |
| Texas | 5,630 | $92,000 | 0.70 |
| Utah | 1,020 | $90,710 | 1.02 |
| Vermont | 490 | $77,460 | 2.79 |
| Virginia | 2,850 | $82,230 | 1.21 |
| Washington | 4,470 | $98,300 | 2.19 |
| West Virginia | 250 | $82,100 | 0.63 |
| Wisconsin | 920 | $72,820 | 0.54 |
| Wyoming | 410 | $74,050 | 2.55 |
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.
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 | Hydrologists | 4 | 0.969 |
| 2 | Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 4 | 0.967 |
| 3 | Petroleum Engineers | 4 | 0.965 |
| 4 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 5 | 0.965 |
| 5 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 4 | 0.964 |
| 6 | Water Resource Specialists | 4 | 0.964 |
| 7 | Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists | 4 | 0.961 |
| 8 | Materials Scientists | 4 | 0.960 |
| 9 | Climate Change Policy Analysts | 5 | 0.958 |
| 10 | Environmental Engineers | 4 | 0.957 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Industrial Ecologists, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineers | Coordination | 0.88 | 0.957 |
| Environmental Restoration Planners | Coordination | 0.88 | 0.954 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | Quality Control Analysis | 2.00 | 0.953 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists | Science | 0.76 | 0.951 |
| Agricultural Engineers | Operations Monitoring | 2.00 | 0.948 |
| Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar | Operations Analysis | 1.12 | 0.945 |
| Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 0.76 | 0.944 |
| Electrical Engineers | Quality Control Analysis | 1.24 | 0.941 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Industrial Ecologists, excluding software Industrial Ecologists 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic information system GIS systems | 9 of 20 | 6.9x |
| C++ | 11 of 20 | 4.6x |
| R | 10 of 20 | 4.5x |
| Formula translation/translator FORTRAN | 6 of 20 | 9.2x |
| HEC-RAS | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| ESRI ArcView | 6 of 20 | 6.9x |
| Maptek Vulcan | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| MineSight | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Maplesoft Maple | 4 of 20 | 12.3x |
| Laboratory information management system LIMS | 4 of 20 | 10.3x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.62 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.38 | 4.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.88 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.26 | 5.48 |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.04 | 5.09 |
| Chemistry | 3.52 | 4.61 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.36 | 4.65 |
| Physics | 3.26 | 4.26 |
| English Language | 3.23 | 4.30 |
| Production and Processing | 3.22 | 3.87 |
| Design | 3.17 | 4.17 |
| Biology | 3.13 | 4.26 |
| Geography | 2.91 | 4.13 |
| Law and Government | 2.91 | 3.43 |
| Education and Training | 2.83 | 3.87 |
| Administration and Management | 2.83 | 3.78 |
| Transportation | 2.70 | 2.95 |
| Communications and Media | 2.67 | 2.91 |
| Building and Construction | 2.43 | 2.70 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.35 | 2.78 |
| Mechanical | 2.26 | 2.43 |
| Food Production | 2.26 | 2.13 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.14 | 2.96 |
| Psychology | 2.13 | 2.48 |
| Administrative | 2.09 | 3.05 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.09 | 2.48 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.96 | 2.22 |
| Telecommunications | 1.96 | 1.39 |
| Public Safety and Security | 1.87 | 1.70 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.78 | 1.83 |
| Foreign Language | 1.52 | 1.13 |
| History and Archeology | 1.48 | 1.52 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.39 | 1.17 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.26 | 0.61 |
| Fine Arts | 1.22 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.04 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 4.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.88 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.38 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.38 | 4.00 |
| Originality | 3.38 | 4.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.75 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Depth Perception | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| 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 |
| Finger Dexterity | 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
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Adobe Illustrator hot
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Apache Hadoop hot
- Atlassian JIRA hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- C# hot
- ESRI ArcGIS software hot
- Git hot
- Linux hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft SQL Server hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Visual Studio hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- NoSQL hot
- Oracle Database hot
- Oracle Java hot
- Python hot
- SAP software hot
- SAS hot
- Salesforce software hot
- Splunk Enterprise hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Debugging software
All 45
- Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment EIO-LCA
- Email software
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Dynamics AX
- Online databases
- PRe Consultants SimaPro
- Production Flow Analysis and Simplification Toolkit PFAST
- Productivity software
- STATISTICA
- Sales Automation Software
- StataCorp Stata
- Structure query language SQL
- Substance Flow Analysis STAN
- Web browser software
- Wolfram Research Mathematica
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Industrial Ecologists separately. These are the figures for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health (19-2041), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helena, MT | 210 | 8.41 | $81,940 |
| Boulder, CO | 770 | 6.99 | $65,260 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 950 | 6.89 | $78,010 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 500 | 6.62 | $86,700 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | 130 | 6.31 | $88,640 |
| Jefferson City, MO | 280 | 6.15 | $59,760 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 650 | 6.08 | $53,910 |
| Cheyenne, WY | 160 | 5.81 | $75,430 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 3,520 | 5.67 | $108,430 |
| Anchorage, AK | 500 | 4.89 | $90,960 |