Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

Also called: Environmental Programs Specialist, Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental Scientist, Environmental Specialist, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist), Environmental Health Specialist, Hazardous Substances Scientist.

O*NET 19-2041.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $82,220; Middle half earn $64,490 to $107,970. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 47% 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; 90,300 jobs in 2024, projected 94,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Environmental scientists and specialists".

What the work involves

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

Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.
Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.5 / 5
Biology3.9 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
Law and Government3.5 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.4 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.3 / 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.

Realistic63
Investigative100
Artistic15
Social29
Enterprising26
Conventional55

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
airport environment officer · DE Flughafen-Umweltschutzbeauftragter /Flughafen-Umweltschutzbeauftragte · FR technicien environnement aéroportuaire/technicienne environnement aéroportuaire
soil scientist · DE Bodenwissenschaftler/Bodenwissenschaftlerin · FR pédologue
ecologist · DE Ökologe/Ökologin · FR écologue
environmental programme coordinator · DE Programmkoordinator Umwelt/Programmkoordinatorin Umwelt · FR coordonnateur de programmes environnementaux/coordonnatrice de programmes environnementaux

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 +1.01. 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 (19-2041).

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