Average Environmental Scientist Salary in Wales, United Kingdom for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Environmental Scientist salary for 2026 in Wales and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does an Environmental Scientist Make in Wales?

An Environmental Scientist working in Wales will typically earn around 112,700 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 55,500 GBP to the highest average salary of 172,100 GBP.

Average Annual Salary112,700 GBP
Average Monthly Salary9,391 GBP
Average Lowest Salary55,500 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary4,625 GBP
Average Highest Salary172,100 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary14,341 GBP

These are average salaries for an Environmental Scientist in Wales and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Environmental Scientist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Environmental Scientist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Environmental Scientist Salaries in Wales

So we've looked at the average salaries an Environmental Scientist will earn in Wales. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Environmental Scientist can earn between 55,500 GBP and 172,100 GBP on average in Wales. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Environmental Scientist in Wales is 112,700 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 112,700 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 112,700 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Environmental Scientist salary in Wales, 25% of the population are earning less than 77,300 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 77,300 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 142,300 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 142,300 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Environmental Scientist Salary by Experience Level in Wales

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Environmental Scientist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Environmental Scientist in Wales that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 68,900 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Environmental Scientist salary would increase to 87,800 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Environmental Scientist, the average salary would be 118,900 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 140,200 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Environmental Scientist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 152,900 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Environmental Scientist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 163,500 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
68,900 GBP
2-5 Years+32%
87,800 GBP
5-10 Years+34%
118,900 GBP
10-15 Years+19%
140,200 GBP
15-20 Years+8%
152,900 GBP
20+ Years+7%
163,500 GBP

Environmental Scientist Salary by Education Level in Wales

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Environmental Scientist in Wales based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Environmental Scientist in Wales with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 86,600 GBP.
  • Master's Degree. An Environmental Scientist in Wales with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 118,900 GBP.
  • PhD. An Environmental Scientist in Wales with a phd education can earn an average salary of 156,200 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
86,600 GBP
Master's Degree+38%
118,900 GBP
PhD+31%
156,200 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Environmental Scientist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Wales, a male environmental scientist will earn an average of 119,700 GBP, while a female environmental scientist will earn around 116,400 GBP.

This means that a male environmental scientist earns approximately 3% more than a female environmental scientist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Wales

Male-
119,700 GBP
Female-3%
116,400 GBP

Environmental Scientist Average Pay Raise in Wales

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Environmental Scientist in Wales is around 12% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an Environmental Scientist in Wales can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Wales for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
3%
Energy-
6%
Information Technology-
9%
Healthcare-
3%
Travel-
6%
Construction-
9%
Education-
3%

Environmental Scientist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Wales

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Environmental Scientist is a moderate bonus based job, with 57% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

43% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus-
57%
No Bonus-
43%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
72,700 GBP
Private Sector-7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Environmental Scientist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Environmental Scientist in Wales.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Environment AdvisorEnvironmental100,200 GBP
Environmental AssistantEnvironmental43,500 GBP
Environmental Compliance InspectorEnvironmental52,600 GBP
Environmental CoordinatorEnvironmental39,300 GBP
Environmental EconomistEnvironmental108,200 GBP
Environmental EducatorEnvironmental84,800 GBP
Environmental EngineerEnvironmental65,900 GBP
Environmental Health PractitionerEnvironmental130,500 GBP
Environmental Health and Safety ManagerEnvironmental117,100 GBP
Environmental ManagerEnvironmental114,300 GBP
Environmental OfficerEnvironmental34,800 GBP
Environmental PlannerEnvironmental45,100 GBP
Environmental Protection OfficerEnvironmental34,400 GBP
Environmental Restoration PlannerEnvironmental65,800 GBP
Environmental Services CoordinatorEnvironmental38,000 GBP
Environmental SpecialistEnvironmental53,600 GBP
Environmental SuperintendentEnvironmental46,400 GBP
Environmental TechnicianEnvironmental35,000 GBP
Environmental and Agricultural ScientistEnvironmental119,700 GBP
Forestry ConsultantEnvironmental82,200 GBP
Forestry SupervisorEnvironmental49,300 GBP
GeologistEnvironmental121,800 GBP
Senor Environmental Health PractitionerEnvironmental121,800 GBP
ToxicologistEnvironmental79,600 GBP
Waste Management ManagerEnvironmental109,700 GBP
Waste Tracking SpecialistEnvironmental89,300 GBP
Water Treatment SuperintendentEnvironmental62,100 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Aberdeen124,500 GBP
Abingdon109,000 GBP
Armagh116,400 GBP
Bangor99,900 GBP
Belfast123,000 GBP
Birmingham137,100 GBP
Bradford127,600 GBP
Brighton125,400 GBP
Bristol130,400 GBP
Cambridge114,600 GBP
Canterbury105,800 GBP
Cardiff123,000 GBP
Chester109,000 GBP
Coventry123,800 GBP
Derby121,800 GBP
Derry109,700 GBP
Dundee118,900 GBP
Durham105,800 GBP
Edinburgh130,500 GBP
Exeter108,200 GBP
Glasgow134,100 GBP
Gloucester109,700 GBP
Hartlepool107,300 GBP
Inverness107,700 GBP
Kingston upon Hull119,700 GBP
Kirkwall102,700 GBP
Leeds140,700 GBP
Leicester132,000 GBP
Lincoln119,700 GBP
Lisburn105,800 GBP
Liverpool137,100 GBP
London138,700 GBP
Manchester132,000 GBP
Newcastle128,200 GBP
Newport123,000 GBP
Newry107,700 GBP
Norwich116,400 GBP
Nottingham128,200 GBP
Oxford117,100 GBP
Peterborough117,100 GBP
Plymouth121,800 GBP
Poole114,900 GBP
Portsmouth117,100 GBP
Ripon100,700 GBP
Salisbury105,200 GBP
Sheffield127,700 GBP
Somerset130,400 GBP
Southampton114,300 GBP
St Davids107,300 GBP
Stirling108,200 GBP
Stromness99,700 GBP
Strontian100,400 GBP
Swansea127,700 GBP
Truro99,700 GBP
Wakefield105,200 GBP
Wells107,700 GBP
Winchester112,700 GBP
Wolverhampton128,200 GBP
York124,500 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

StateAverage Salary
England222,700 GBP
Northern Ireland107,300 GBP
Scotland164,100 GBP

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