Average Environmental Specialist Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Environmental Specialist salary for 2024 in United States 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 United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Environmental Specialist Make in United States?

An Environmental Specialist working in United States will typically earn around 69,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 31,400 USD to the highest average salary of 108,200 USD.

Average Annual Salary
69,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary
5,766 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
31,400 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,616 USD

Highest Annual Salary
108,200 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,016 USD

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

Environmental Specialist 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 Specialist Salaries in United States

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

Salary ranges

We already know that an Environmental Specialist can earn between 31,400 USD and 108,200 USD on average in United States. 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 Specialist in United States is 76,000 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 76,000 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 76,000 USD.

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 Specialist salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 48,600 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 48,600 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 99,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 99,700 USD.

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 Specialist Salary by Experience Level in United States

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 specialist 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 Specialist in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 35,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Environmental Specialist salary would increase to 49,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Environmental Specialist, the average salary would be 72,800 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 86,100 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Environmental Specialist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 95,500 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Environmental Specialist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 102,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
35,600 USD
2-5 Years +34%
49,400 USD
5-10 Years +48%
72,800 USD
10-15 Years +22%
86,100 USD
15-20 Years +9%
95,500 USD
20+ Years +8%
102,700 USD

Environmental Specialist Salary by Education Level in United States

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 Specialist in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Environmental Specialist in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 45,600 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Environmental Specialist in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 51,500 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Environmental Specialist in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 74,200 USD.

  • Master's Degree. An Environmental Specialist in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 98,900 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
45,600 USD
Certificate or Diploma +18%
51,500 USD
Bachelor's Degree +45%
74,200 USD
Master's Degree +31%
98,900 USD

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 States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD 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 Specialist 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 United States, a male environmental specialist will earn an average of 70,700 USD, while a female environmental specialist will earn around 67,900 USD.

This means that a male environmental specialist earns approximately 4% more than a female environmental specialist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
70,700 USD
Female -4%
67,900 USD

Environmental Specialist Average Pay Raise in United States

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 Specialist in United States is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 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 = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that an Environmental Specialist in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

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

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

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Environmental Specialist Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

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 Specialist is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% 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 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
60%
No Bonus
40%

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 States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Environmental Specialist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Environmental Specialist in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Environment Advisor Environmental 128,400 USD
Environmental and Agricultural Scientist Environmental 158,700 USD
Environmental Assistant Environmental 57,400 USD
Environmental Compliance Inspector Environmental 62,300 USD
Environmental Coordinator Environmental 53,300 USD
Environmental Economist Environmental 151,800 USD
Environmental Educator Environmental 118,900 USD
Environmental Engineer Environmental 86,300 USD
Environmental Health and Safety Manager Environmental 160,700 USD
Environmental Health Practitioner Environmental 158,900 USD
Environmental Manager Environmental 152,700 USD
Environmental Officer Environmental 50,300 USD
Environmental Planner Environmental 64,900 USD
Environmental Protection Officer Environmental 46,000 USD
Environmental Restoration Planner Environmental 92,300 USD
Environmental Scientist Environmental 157,600 USD
Environmental Services Coordinator Environmental 52,000 USD
Environmental Superintendent Environmental 62,600 USD
Environmental Technician Environmental 48,600 USD
Forestry Consultant Environmental 109,700 USD
Forestry Supervisor Environmental 72,700 USD
Geologist Environmental 161,300 USD
Senor Environmental Health Practitioner Environmental 164,100 USD
Toxicologist Environmental 105,200 USD
Waste Management Manager Environmental 146,700 USD
Waste Tracking Specialist Environmental 117,100 USD
Water Treatment Superintendent Environmental 80,400 USD

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Atlanta 65,800 USD
Austin 78,200 USD
Baltimore 72,400 USD
Boston 74,500 USD
Bristol 61,400 USD
Chicago 87,700 USD
Cincinnati 58,800 USD
Cleveland 61,400 USD
Dallas 79,000 USD
Denver 73,500 USD
Detroit 68,500 USD
Honolulu 58,600 USD
Houston 84,200 USD
Indianapolis 74,900 USD
Iowa City 61,600 USD
Jacksonville 81,200 USD
Kansas City 68,500 USD
Kent 63,700 USD
Las Vegas 67,800 USD
Long Beach 67,500 USD
Los Angeles 87,700 USD
Memphis 71,400 USD
Miami 66,200 USD
Minneapolis 66,200 USD
New Orleans 61,500 USD
New York 83,200 USD
Oakland 65,100 USD
Oklahoma City 69,100 USD
Orlando 62,500 USD
Philadelphia 83,300 USD
Phoenix 81,000 USD
Sacramento 67,800 USD
San Antonio 80,900 USD
San Diego 81,400 USD
San Francisco 79,600 USD
San Jose 80,800 USD
Seattle 72,300 USD
Tampa 64,300 USD
Vancouver 59,000 USD
Washington D.C. 74,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alabama 76,800 USD
Alaska 67,300 USD
Arizona 80,800 USD
Arkansas 72,400 USD
California 85,100 USD
Colorado 74,700 USD
Connecticut 73,300 USD
Delaware 67,800 USD
District of Columbia 66,900 USD
Florida 81,700 USD
Georgia 81,000 USD
Hawaii 69,400 USD
Idaho 68,100 USD
Illinois 81,000 USD
Indiana 78,200 USD
Iowa 69,400 USD
Kansas 69,700 USD
Kentucky 72,700 USD
Louisiana 72,700 USD
Maine 66,900 USD
Maryland 73,300 USD
Massachusetts 74,100 USD
Michigan 75,800 USD
Minnesota 73,500 USD
Mississippi 70,100 USD
Missouri 72,000 USD
Montana 64,800 USD
Nebraska 67,800 USD
Nevada 66,200 USD
New Hampshire 63,200 USD
New Jersey 73,700 USD
New Mexico 66,700 USD
New York 75,100 USD
North Carolina 73,700 USD
North Dakota 68,900 USD
Ohio 84,600 USD
Oklahoma 75,500 USD
Oregon 76,000 USD
Pennsylvania 84,600 USD
Rhode Island 66,400 USD
South Carolina 77,400 USD
South Dakota 67,900 USD
Tennessee 78,900 USD
Texas 81,300 USD
Utah 70,000 USD
Vermont 63,500 USD
Virginia 77,100 USD
Washington 78,100 USD
West Virginia 69,100 USD
Wisconsin 75,500 USD
Wyoming 64,900 USD

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