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The national median salary for Environmental Engineers is $104,166 per year ($50.08/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,517 and $130,832 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $161,907 per year. There are approximately 37,950 environmental engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.9%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
39K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
10K
$102,990
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
7K
$97,510
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
7K
$101,630
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
2K
$120,830
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
2K
$98,590
Wage range across top 5 industries: $97,510 to $120,830 (24% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$31.23
$64,958
P25
$38.71
$80,517
P50MEDIAN
$50.08
$104,166
P75
$62.90
$130,832
P90
$77.84
$161,907
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average environmental engineers salary?
The national median salary for Environmental Engineers is $104,166 per year ($50.08/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,517 and $130,832 annually.
How much do top-earning environmental engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Environmental Engineers is $161,907 per year ($77.84/hr). The 75th percentile is $130,832 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for environmental engineers?
Entry-level Environmental Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $64,958 per year ($31.23/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,517 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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