Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IEC

Environmental Economists

Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.

Also called: Environmental Economist, Natural Resource Economist, Research Economist, Resource Economist.

O*NET 19-3011.01

At a glance

US median annual pay: $124,720; Middle half earn $89,330 to $174,720. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 44% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +1% · Slower than average; 17,600 jobs in 2024, projected 17,800. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Economists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Write technical documents or academic articles to communicate study results or economic forecasts.
Conduct research on economic and environmental topics, such as alternative fuel use, public and private land use, soil conservation, air and water pollution control, and endangered species protection.
Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives.
Assess the costs and benefits of various activities, policies, or regulations that affect the environment or natural resource stocks.
Prepare and deliver presentations to communicate economic and environmental study results, to present policy recommendations, or to raise awareness of environmental consequences.
Develop programs or policy recommendations to achieve environmental goals in cost-effective ways.
Develop economic models, forecasts, or scenarios to predict future economic and environmental outcomes.
Demonstrate or promote the economic benefits of sound environmental regulations.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Writing4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Learning3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mathematics4.7 / 5
Economics and Accounting4.4 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.7 / 5
Education and Training3.2 / 5
Law and Government3.1 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic29
Investigative100
Artistic25
Social21
Enterprising52
Conventional51

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

environmental policy officer · DE Referent für Umweltpolitik/Referentin für Umweltpolitik · FR chargé de mission en environnement/chargée de mission en environnement
economist · DE Volkswirtschaftler/Volkswirtschaftlerin · FR économiste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c. (2439)104,500 employed
Professional/Chartered company secretaries (2435)1,700 employed
Business and related research professionals (2434)62,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.40. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test