Environmental Engineers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for environmental engineerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $112,910 ≈ $54/hr
National median salary $107,110
Total employment 38,340 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +3.9% About as fast as average
Annual openings 3,000 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 39,400 → 41,000 (+1,500)
Typical entry education Bachelor's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Louisiana$138,180
  2. Oregon$127,920
  3. Washington$127,330
  4. California$125,870
  5. Texas$124,400

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Arkansas$90,550
  2. West Virginia$92,680
  3. New Hampshire$93,600
  4. Mississippi$95,010
  5. Arizona$96,410
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Louisiana $138,180 $130,510 $66 +22.4% 340
2 Oregon $127,920 $127,100 $62 +13.3% 650
3 Washington $127,330 $125,460 $61 +12.8% 1,920
4 California $125,870 $130,410 $61 +11.5% 4,550
5 Texas $124,400 $123,060 $60 +10.2% 1,940
6 New Mexico $123,800 $108,360 $60 +9.6% 500
7 Idaho $123,300 $117,520 $59 +9.2% 400
8 Nevada $120,710 $109,720 $58 +6.9% 290
9 Nebraska $120,150 $120,620 $58 +6.4% 270
10 Connecticut $119,880 $114,710 $58 +6.2% 450
11 Massachusetts $119,180 $115,800 $57 +5.6% 1,880
12 Minnesota $116,740 $115,750 $56 +3.4% 1,080
13 Illinois $116,020 $107,990 $56 +2.8% 940
14 Hawaii $115,920 $107,880 $56 +2.7% 150
15 Alaska $114,660 $110,220 $55 +1.5% 260

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 181 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL $142,700 $121,630 50
2 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $141,560 $138,740 100
3 Redding, CA $140,570 $134,930 40
4 Kennewick-Richland, WA $140,060 $140,210 390
5 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $138,840 $135,420 550
6 Stockton-Lodi, CA $138,700 $124,800 40
7 Baton Rouge, LA $138,000 $144,100 170
8 Vallejo, CA $136,640 $140,040 30
9 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX $135,240 $135,550 80
10 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $133,240 $130,750 1,200

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing environmental engineerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing $140,770 $135,230 50
2 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $140,140 $142,560 430
3 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $134,960 $134,030 170
4 Scientific Research and Development Services $133,740 $138,390 460
5 Oil and Gas Extraction $133,710 $144,590 220
6 Oil and Gas Extraction $133,710 $144,590 220
7 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $133,450 $141,490 270
8 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $133,450 $141,490 270
9 Waste Treatment and Disposal $132,790 $123,380 380
10 Sectors 48 and 49 - Transportation and Warehousing $131,590 $140,250 230
11 Rail Transportation $130,430 $126,960 60
12 Rail Transportation $130,430 $126,960 60

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
4,676
$10-20k
867
$20-30k
520
$30-40k
1,782
$40-50k
1,607
$50-60k
2,051
$60-70k
3,251
$70-80k
2,993
$80-90k
3,225
$90-100k
3,780
$100-110k
3,330
$110-120k
2,380
$120-130k
2,690
$130-140k
1,036
$140-150k
1,016
$150-160k
1,169
$160-170k
946
$170-180k
251
$180-190k
553
$190-200k
64
$200k+
2,256

Pay by age band

16-24
$41,496
25-34
$79,416
35-44
$111,345
45-54
$123,030
55-64
$113,196
65+
$53,751

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$92,465
Masters Degree
$97,431
Doctorate degree
$108,937
Regular high school diploma
$31,358
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$79,568
Some college, but less than 1 year
$60,799
Professional degree
$68,716
GED or alternative credential
$53,930
Grade 11
$25,488
Associates Degree
$56,264
Grade 9
$5,098

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
32,820 · $106,724
Part-time
3,006 · $61,615

Race / ethnicity

White
$94,856
Two or More Races
$94,985
Asian
$79,245
Black
$77,111
Other
$71,880
American Indian
$75,336

Top fields of study

Civil Engineering
$105,014
Environmental Engineering
$91,872
Chemical Engineering
$78,044
Biology
$62,017
Mechanical Engineering
$94,008
General Engineering
$101,503
Environmental Science
$102,633
Biological Engineering
$105,917

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Reading Comprehension
4.0
Writing
4.0
Speaking
4.0
Monitoring
4.0
Critical Thinking
4.0
Active Listening
4.0
Complex Problem Solving
3.9
Judgment and Decision Making
3.9
Active Learning
3.8
Coordination
3.8
Mathematics
3.4
Science
3.4

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do environmental engineers make in the U.S.?

The median environmental engineers salary in the United States is $107,110 per year (mean $112,910), and about 80% earn between $69,990 and $162,220.

How much do environmental engineers make per hour?

Roughly $54 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $112,910 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays environmental engineers the most?

Louisiana has the highest average pay for environmental engineers at $138,180 per year (median $130,510).

What is the job outlook for environmental engineers?

Employment is projected to change +3.9% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 3,000 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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