Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health Salary in Virginia
SOC 19-4042 · Virginia · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$49,442
$23.77/hr
10.3% lower than the US national median ($55,099)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Environmental Science and Protection Technicians salary in Virginia in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$38K
P25$44K
P50$49K
P75$62K
P90$77K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
⚡
Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- professional & business services openings are at 5.0% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $49,442 to $62,067 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Environmental Science and Protection Technicians pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
BLS's May 2025 median estimate for this role is 11.3% above its May 2024 estimate. A swing that large usually reflects survey sampling or classification changes between OEWS vintages rather than actual pay changes, so lean on the sector wage-growth benchmark (2.5% per year, BLS ECI) for planning.
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 2.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 5.8% to 5.0% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.5 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 5.0% (down 119K). BLS revised July up from 4.8% to 5.5%, so last month's third straight decline did not happen. Quits recovered to 2.1%; layoffs fell 56K.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings fell for a third month to 4.8% (June revised to 5.1%), and hires dropped 188K, the largest pullback of any sector. Quits slid to 1.8%.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The median salary for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health in Virginia is $49,442 per year ($23.77/hr). This is 10.3% lower than the national median of $55,099.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other specialist. May collect samples of gases, soil, water, and other materials for testing.
Wage Percentiles: Virginia
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$18.19
$37,835
-0.9%
P25
$20.96
$43,597
-4.9%
P50MEDIAN
$23.77
$49,442
-10.3%
P75
$29.84
$62,067
-11.2%
P90Top earners
$37.16
$77,293
-17.9%
How Virginia compares for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians in Virginia is in line with national (-0.9%) at entry but below national (-17.9%) at the top, so local pay sits relatively lower toward the senior end of the range.
An offer at the national median of $55,099 would sit at about the 64th percentile in Virginia.
The top of the range earns 2.04 times the bottom here against 2.47 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Virginia.
Virginia employs 1,450 people in this role, 4.2% of the national total.
Get the full percentile report
P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians
Free. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.0%
Faster than average
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
40K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
8K
$49,590
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
8K
$64,070
Wage range across top 5 industries: $49,590 to $64,070 (29% spread)
See the complete picture
Full percentile breakdown · JOLTS market signals · Geographic comparison · AI analyst briefs
No credit card required · 770+ occupations · 393 metros
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median environmental science and protection technicians, including health salary in Virginia?
The median (P50) annual salary for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health in Virginia is approximately $49,442, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 10.3% lower than the national median of $55,099. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
