Life & Physical Science
Environmental Scientists
SOC 19-2041
Assess and address environmental contamination and regulatory compliance.
The job
Median pay
$82k
$64k to $108k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+6.1% projected
Openings a year
7k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
6/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
86th pct
More exposed than 86% of occupations · modeled estimate · 61st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
52/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,490 | 0.7 | 1.2× | $107k |
| Florida | 5,950 | 0.6 | 1.0× | $61k |
| Texas | 5,630 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $92k |
| Washington | 4,470 | 1.3 | 2.2× | $98k |
| North Carolina | 4,150 | 0.8 | 1.5× | $74k |
| New York | 3,700 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $82k |
| New Jersey | 3,150 | 0.7 | 1.3× | $79k |
| Michigan | 3,100 | 0.7 | 1.2× | $76k |
| Pennsylvania | 3,020 | 0.5 | 0.9× | $76k |
| Massachusetts | 2,930 | 0.8 | 1.4× | $101k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 2,850 | 0.7 | 1.2× | $82k |
| Colorado | 2,580 | 0.9 | 1.6× | $86k |
| Ohio | 2,460 | 0.4 | 0.8× | $79k |
| Minnesota | 2,260 | 0.8 | 1.3× | $88k |
| Arizona | 1,970 | 0.6 | 1.1× | $81k |
| Maryland | 1,760 | 0.6 | 1.1× | $84k |
| Georgia | 1,750 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $86k |
| Louisiana | 1,600 | 0.8 | 1.4× | $70k |
| Illinois | 1,550 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $82k |
| Missouri | 1,380 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $61k |
| Oregon | 1,370 | 0.7 | 1.2× | $97k |
| Indiana | 1,290 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $65k |
| Washington DC | 1,270 | 1.8 | 3.1× | $133k |
| Tennessee | 1,230 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $77k |
| Utah | 1,020 | 0.6 | 1.0× | $91k |
| Kentucky | 1,000 | 0.5 | 0.9× | $71k |
| New Mexico | 940 | 1.1 | 1.9× | $87k |
| Wisconsin | 920 | 0.3 | 0.5× | $73k |
| Alabama | 870 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $72k |
| Alaska | 860 | 2.6 | 4.6× | $92k |
| Iowa | 690 | 0.4 | 0.8× | $79k |
| Hawaii | 670 | 1.1 | 1.9× | $80k |
| Idaho | 670 | 0.8 | 1.4× | $70k |
| Connecticut | 620 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $82k |
| Kansas | 590 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $78k |
| Montana | 570 | 1.1 | 1.9× | $80k |
| Maine | 530 | 0.8 | 1.4× | $66k |
| Oklahoma | 520 | 0.3 | 0.5× | $76k |
| Nebraska | 510 | 0.5 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Nevada | 490 | 0.3 | 0.6× | $83k |
| South Carolina | 490 | 0.2 | 0.4× | $75k |
| Vermont | 490 | 1.6 | 2.8× | $77k |
| New Hampshire | 480 | 0.7 | 1.2× | $81k |
| Wyoming | 410 | 1.5 | 2.5× | $74k |
| Mississippi | 390 | 0.3 | 0.6× | $58k |
| Rhode Island | 330 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $101k |
| Delaware | 290 | 0.6 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Arkansas | 270 | 0.2 | 0.4× | $57k |
| West Virginia | 250 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $82k |
| North Dakota | 240 | 0.6 | 1.0× | $85k |
| South Dakota | 240 | 0.5 | 0.9× | $68k |
Top metro areas
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA3,520 jobs · $108k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ3,350 jobs · $86k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV2,710 jobs · $108k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA2,520 jobs · $105k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA2,490 jobs · $103k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH2,270 jobs · $100k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX1,840 jobs · $95k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD1,500 jobs · $78k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Environmental Scientists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.