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Role hub · Environmental Engineers

Environmental Engineer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of environmental engineers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$107,110
Hourly
$51.50
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Environmental Engineers research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. The median pay is $107,110 a year ($51.50 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (62% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$107,110
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
38,340
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
62% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Environmental Engineers

SalaryEnvironmental Engineer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Career changeEnvironmental Engineer career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What environmental engineers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

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

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreWritingcoreSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoringComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingCoordination

Knowledge areas: Engineering and Technology, Design, Chemistry, Mathematics, Building and Construction, English Language.

Tools and technology

Software environmental engineers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareIn demand
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Bentley MicroStationComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • ANSYS simulation softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Air dispersion modeling softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Computer aided design and drafting software CADDComputer aided design CAD software
  • Continuous emission management softwareCompliance software
  • DHI Water and Environment MIKE SHEAnalytical or scientific software
  • ESRI ArcViewGeographic information system

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

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).