Environmental engineers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

30.7k

Average Age

43.4

Estimated Job Growth

3.23%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$88,018

Average Male Salary

$91,979

Average Female Salary

$79,248

About

Environmental engineers are most often employed by the Architectural, engineering & related services industry. The average yearly wage for Environmental engineers was $88,018 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Environmental engineers are Elk Grove City PUMA, CA, Broomfield, Jefferson (Northeast), Adams (Northwest) & Boulder (Southeast) Counties PUMA, CO, and Kansas City (South) PUMA, MO. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Environmental engineers are Elk Grove City PUMA, CA, Warrick, Gibson & Posey Counties PUMA, IN, and Kansas City (South) PUMA, MO.

Photo by U.S. Department of the Interior

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Architecture & engineering occupations

Employment and salary information for the Environmental engineers workforce. Environmental engineers workforce in 2020 was 30,701 people, of which 31.1% were women and 68.9% were men. Environmental engineers are paid most in Fullerton & Placentia Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Elk Grove City PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

21,150

Male Workforce

± 3.57k

9,551

Female Workforce

± 2.4k

The Environmental engineers workforce in 2020 was 30,701 people (31.1% women and 68.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 5.31% between 2014 (29,153) and 2020 (30,701).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Environmental engineers.

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($255,481), Rhode Island ($149,198), and West Virginia ($144,089).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$88,018

AVERAGE WAGE

#75 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Environmental engineers earned an average of $88,018, $32,064 more than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Environmental engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.285

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Environmental engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.285, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Environmental engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Environmental engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Environmental engineers and on wages for those in the field. Architectural, engineering & related services is the industry that employs the most Environmental engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Environmental engineers, by average wage, is Coal mining ($137,230).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

30.7k

2020 Workforce

± 4,301

0.504%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 19.7%

This graphic shows the share of Environmental engineers employed by various industries. Architectural, engineering & related services employs the largest share of Environmental engineers at 51.1%, followed by Administration of environmental quality & housing programs with 25.8% and Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems with 23.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Environmental engineers in the US. The workforce of Environmental engineers in 2020 was 30,701 people, with 31.1% woman, and 68.9% men. The average age of male Environmental engineers in the workforce is 45.2 and of female Environmental engineers is 39.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Environmental engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Environmental engineers in 2020 was 30,701 people, with 31.1% woman, and 68.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (4,014 people), 30 to 34 years (3,822 people), and 55 to 59 years (3,597 people). Among them they concentrated 37.7% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 7.27% of Environmental engineers workers were Hispanic and 92.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (61%), Puerto Rican (27.2)%, and Cuban (11.8)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2020, 77% of the Environmental engineers workforce were White, of which 29.8% were women and 70.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (11.5%) and Black (6.55%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Environmental engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Environmental engineers is Engineering but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2020 were Natural Resources & Conservation.

Among the necessary skills for Environmental engineers, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Environmental engineers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Environmental engineers in 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (17,552 people), Physical Sciences (1,760 people), and Natural Resources & Conservation (1,616 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Environmental engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (15,241 people), Graduate Degree (11,960 people), and Some college (1,355 people).

The graphic shows the Environmental engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Environmental engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Environmental engineers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Speaking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Environmental Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Environmental Engineers are expected to see a growth of 3.23% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

3.23%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Environmental engineers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.