How much do environmental engineers make in 2026?
Environmental engineers have their own BLS occupation code: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 17-2081 national median at $107,110 a year ($51.50 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $69,990 and the top 10% at $162,220. It is a small occupation of 38,340 workers, and its structure is unusual because demand is driven by regulation rather than by product markets. Water and wastewater standards, air permitting, contaminated-site remediation, stormwater rules and PFAS response all create work directly, which means hiring responds to regulatory cycles and enforcement posture as much as to the economy. The pay split runs between three employer types. Private environmental and engineering consultancies pay the widest range, from modest entry salaries to strong senior and principal earnings tied to selling and running work. Industrial employers — refineries, chemical plants, mining and manufacturing — pay above consulting at comparable experience because an in-house environmental engineer protects the operating permit that the whole site depends on. Federal, state and municipal agencies pay less on salary and more in stability, pension and predictable hours. The PE licence matters wherever designs are sealed or regulatory submissions signed. Employment is projected to grow 3.9% through 2034 with roughly 3,000 openings a year. → Full environmental engineer career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $107,110 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Environmental Engineers earn a national median $107,110/yr ($51.50/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-2081); the P10 to P90 range is $69,990 to $162,220.
- Demand in this field is created by regulation rather than markets, so hiring tracks permitting requirements, enforcement posture and new contaminant standards more than the economic cycle.
- In-house industrial environmental engineers typically out-earn consultants at the same experience, because they protect the operating permit an entire site depends on.
- The PE licence is required wherever treatment designs are sealed or regulatory submissions signed, which covers most water, wastewater and remediation design practice.
US Environmental Engineer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do environmental engineers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-2081; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-2081, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an environmental engineer earn at each career stage?
Environmental engineering pay follows technical ownership of permits, designs and compliance outcomes. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-2081.
By State
Which states pay environmental engineers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national environmental engineer median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. State regulatory posture is the real variable in this field: states with their own programmes tighter than the federal floor generate more permitting, monitoring and treatment work, and therefore more demand for licensed environmental engineers.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($123,180), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay environmental engineers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Metros with heavy industry, legacy contamination or large water utilities carry the most work.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an environmental engineer’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does environmental engineer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Environmental Engineers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify environmental engineer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an environmental engineer actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Environmental Engineer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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