Environmental Engineers: Career Overview
Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.
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What Tasks Do Environmental Engineers Do?
Typical responsibilities of environmental engineers cover:
- Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
- Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
- Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
- Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
- Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
- Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
- Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
- Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top environmental engineers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Environmental Engineers Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Air Pollution Control Engineer
- Air Quality Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Coastal Engineer
- Engineer
- Engineering Consultant
- Environmental Analyst
- Environmental Compliance Engineer
How Many Environmental Engineers Are There?
There are roughly 76,117 environmental engineers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +9.8% over the projection horizon.
Environmental Engineers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $79,896 |
| Hourly median | $38.41 |
| 10th percentile | $44,938 |
| 25th percentile | $62,417 |
| 75th percentile | $97,375 |
| 90th percentile | $114,855 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Environmental Engineers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $130,370 |
| California | $127,660 |
| District of Columbia | $125,980 |
| Louisiana | $123,210 |
| Massachusetts | $116,980 |
| Washington | $115,770 |
| Alaska | $113,800 |
| Nevada | $112,330 |
| Texas | $108,560 |
| Connecticut | $108,100 |
| Illinois | $107,550 |
| Rhode Island | $106,620 |
| Ohio | $106,070 |
| Hawaii | $105,230 |
| Minnesota | $104,980 |
| Kentucky | $104,770 |
| Wyoming | $104,540 |
| North Carolina | $104,040 |
| New Mexico | $103,770 |
| Virginia | $103,480 |
| Michigan | $100,090 |
| Alabama | $100,060 |
| West Virginia | $99,830 |
| Delaware | $99,820 |
| Utah | $99,180 |
| South Carolina | $99,040 |
| New Jersey | $98,980 |
| Colorado | $98,170 |
| New York | $97,870 |
| Montana | $96,320 |
| Iowa | $95,980 |
| Indiana | $95,630 |
| Georgia | $94,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,880 |
| Maryland | $94,830 |
| Kansas | $93,540 |
| Arizona | $91,520 |
| South Dakota | $91,320 |
| Nebraska | $91,100 |
| Florida | $89,850 |
| Wisconsin | $89,270 |
| Tennessee | $87,920 |
| Oklahoma | $87,840 |
| North Dakota | $87,590 |
| Missouri | $87,360 |
| Vermont | $85,950 |
| Idaho | $85,390 |
| Maine | $85,050 |
| Arkansas | $84,600 |
| New Hampshire | $83,880 |
| Mississippi | $81,780 |
| Puerto Rico | $74,550 |
Where Environmental Engineers Earn the Most
Earnings for environmental engineers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $124,191 | 20.0% | 1.27 |
| New England | $107,612 | 6.8% | 1.46 |
| Southwest | $101,380 | 8.9% | 0.93 |
| Great Lakes | $101,250 | 12.2% | 0.87 |
| Middle Atlantic | $97,627 | 17.0% | 1.15 |
| Southeast | $97,031 | 20.3% | 0.98 |
| Rocky Mountains | $96,783 | 7.6% | 2.04 |
| Plains States | $96,627 | 6.6% | 1.10 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $142,000 | 580 |
| Bend, OR | OR | $140,590 | 60 |
| Midland, TX | TX | $139,230 | 40 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $138,090 | 290 |
| Redding, CA | CA | $137,810 | 40 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | CA | $134,700 | 90 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | GA | $131,810 | 90 |
| Salem, OR | OR | $130,890 | 60 |
Which Industries Hire Environmental Engineers
The bulk of environmental engineers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17,720 | $102,730 |
| Manufacturing | 2,710 | $111,850 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,340 | $105,650 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 990 | $123,020 |
| Utilities | 470 | $122,840 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 460 | $126,610 |
| Educational Services | 320 | $86,340 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 280 | $119,280 |
Environmental Engineers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Bentley MicroStation (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: Python (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for environmental engineers reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Getting Started in This Career
Typical environmental engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Water Resource Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers (Primary-Short)
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors (Primary-Short)
- Agricultural Engineers (Supplemental)
- Chemical Engineers (Supplemental)
- Civil Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Water/Wastewater Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Students preparing for environmental engineers often complete programs in:
Engineering
3 programs across 2 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 17-2081.00 (Environmental Engineers).
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