Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

19-4091 Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

Performs laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health. Under direction of an environmental scientist or specialist, may collect samples of gases, soil, water, and other materials for testing and take corrective actions as assigned.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
26,380 2.9 % $17.96 $37,370 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.24 $13.28 $16.98 $21.85 $27.13
Annual Wage (2) $21,290 $27,610 $35,320 $45,440 $56,430

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Local government (OES designation) 6,120 $18.97 $39,460 1 22
Architectural and engineering services 4,580 $15.38 $32,000 2 35
State government (OES designation) 3,750 $18.65 $38,790 3 24
Management and technical consulting services 3,190 $15.78 $32,830 4 34
General medical and surgical hospitals 810 $10.12 $21,060 5 43

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Coal mining 80 $29.10 $60,530 28 1
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 50 $28.53 $59,350 33 2
Power generation and supply 530 $28.54 $59,350 8 3
Natural gas distribution 60 $27.98 $58,190 32 4
Management of companies and enterprises 260 $25.55 $53,150 14 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
West Virginia 420 $15.09 $31,400 0.062% 284
Alaska 150 $18.85 $39,200 0.052% 238
Rhode Island 210 $18.08 $37,600 0.044% 229
Illinois 2,260 $18.62 $38,730 0.039% 303
Wyoming 90 $13.11 $27,260 0.037% 281

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alabama 270 $21.42 $44,560 0.015% 148
Colorado 320 $21.13 $43,940 0.015% 206
Nevada 120 $20.85 $43,370 0.011% 202
California 2,640 $20.65 $42,950 0.018% 307
Washington 850 $20.43 $42,490 0.033% 292

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Springfield, IL MSA 260 $22.64 $47,090 0.233%
San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA MSA 90 $22.12 $46,000 0.089%
Bangor, ME MSA 50 $12.61 $26,220 0.088%
Longview-Marshall, TX MSA 70 $15.60 $32,450 0.077%
Charleston, WV MSA 90 $17.41 $36,210 0.072%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA (6) $26.16 $54,410 (6)
Trenton, NJ PMSA 60 $24.31 $50,570 0.029%
Oakland, CA PMSA (6) $24.16 $50,260 (6)
Springfield, IL MSA 260 $22.64 $47,090 0.233%
Denver, CO PMSA 140 $22.63 $47,070 0.012%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003