How much do environmental scientists make in 2026?
Environmental scientists earn a national median of $82,220 a year ($39.53 an hour) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 19-2041, environmental scientists and specialists including health, with the bottom 10% near $52,520 and the top 10% at $140,010 across 89,250 workers. This is the exact occupational code for the role, but it is still broad, covering air, water, soil, waste and sustainability specialists at every level of seniority. Sector explains most of the spread. Private consulting pays the widest range and the highest ceiling, with pay tied to billability and client origination. Industry roles — an environmental scientist embedded at a refinery, utility or manufacturer — pay competitively with more stable hours and a narrower band. Federal agencies pay to a published grade scale that is solid at entry and compressed at the top. State and local government and non-profit conservation work pay least in cash and are frequently oversubscribed, because the work is genuinely attractive. A specialism that is scarce and billable — hydrogeology, air permitting, ecological risk assessment — moves someone up the band faster than years of general environmental experience does. Employment is projected to grow 4.4% through 2034 with roughly 8,500 openings a year. → Full environmental scientist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $82,220 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Environmental Scientists earn a national median $82,220/yr ($39.53/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 19-2041); the P10 to P90 range is $52,520 to $140,010.
- Sector, not geography, drives the $52,520 to $140,010 spread: consulting pays the widest range and highest ceiling, government and non-profit the least cash for comparable responsibility.
- A scarce, billable specialism — hydrogeology, air permitting, ecological risk assessment — raises pay faster than general environmental experience of the same duration.
- The field is genuinely oversubscribed at entry because the work appeals to more graduates than it employs, which suppresses starting pay and makes the first technical specialism the decisive career move.
US Environmental Scientist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do environmental scientists 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 19-2041; 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 19-2041, 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 scientist earn at each career stage?
Environmental science pay follows technical specialism and the ability to sign off work, not time served. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 19-2041.
By State
Which states pay environmental scientists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national environmental scientist median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Environmental pay tracks where the regulated activity is, so states with heavy industry, active remediation programmes or contested water resources support more upper-band roles than their general wage level suggests.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($94,550), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay environmental scientists 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. Consulting employment clusters in metros with corporate and agency headquarters, while the fieldwork itself is dispersed across the state.
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 scientist’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 scientist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Environmental Scientists 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 scientist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an environmental scientist 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 Scientist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Environmental Scientist career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring environmental scientists?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Environmental Scientist
Everything for environmental scientists in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full environmental scientist cluster.