Architecture and Engineering · Holland code IRC

Environmental Engineers

Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.

Also called: Engineer, Environmental Engineer, Environmental Remediation Specialist, Sanitary Engineer, Air Pollution Control Engineer, Engineering Consultant, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Consultant.

O*NET 17-2081.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $107,110; Middle half earn $83,570 to $134,420. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 62% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 39,400 jobs in 2024, projected 41,000. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Environmental engineers".

What the work involves

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

Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Monitoring4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology5.0 / 5
Design4.6 / 5
Chemistry4.0 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
Building and Construction3.9 / 5
English Language3.8 / 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.

Realistic70
Investigative85
Artistic16
Social20
Enterprising36
Conventional60

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 protection manager · DE Umweltschutzmanager/Umweltschutzmanagerin · FR directeur de la protection de l'environnement/directrice de la protection de l'environnement
environmental geologist · DE Umweltgeologe/Umweltgeologin · FR géologue environnementaliste
pipeline environmental project manager · DE Umweltprojektleiter im Pipelinebereich/Umweltprojektleiterin im Pipelinebereich · FR chef de projet environnement transport par canalisations
ecologist · DE Ökologe/Ökologin · FR écologue
environmental programme coordinator · DE Programmkoordinator Umwelt/Programmkoordinatorin Umwelt · FR coordonnateur de programmes environnementaux/coordonnatrice de programmes environnementaux
environmental scientist · DE Umweltwissenschaftler/Umweltwissenschaftlerin · FR chargé d’études environnement/chargée d’études environnement

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services (1163)8,000 employed
Environment professionals (2152)80,200 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 +1.34. 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 (17-2081).

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