Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 19-5011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$90,147
$43.34/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
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 national median salary for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is $90,147 per year ($43.34/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $69,555 and $111,696 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $134,950 per year. There are approximately 140,610 occupational health and safety specialists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. May conduct inspections and enforce adherence to laws and regulations governing the health and safety of individuals. May be employed in the public or private sector.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+12.5%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
15K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
132K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
11% from new growth89% 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
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
10K
$82,460
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
8K
$77,340
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
7K
$103,380
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
7K
$100,790
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
6K
$79,730
Wage range across top 5 industries: $77,340 to $103,380 (34% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$26.44
$54,995
P25
$33.44
$69,555
P50MEDIAN
$43.34
$90,147
P75
$53.70
$111,696
P90
$64.88
$134,950
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 occupational health and safety specialists salary?
The national median salary for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is $90,147 per year ($43.34/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $69,555 and $111,696 annually.
How much do top-earning occupational health and safety specialists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is $134,950 per year ($64.88/hr). The 75th percentile is $111,696 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for occupational health and safety specialists?
Entry-level Occupational Health and Safety Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $54,995 per year ($26.44/hr). The 25th percentile is $69,555 per year.
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.