Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

19-2041 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 the health of the population. Utilizing knowledge of various scientific disciplines may collect, synthesize, study, report, and take action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources. Exclude "Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists" (19-1023), "Conservation Scientists" (19-1031), "Forest and Conservation Technicians" (19-4093), "Fish and Game Wardens" (33-3031), and "Forest and Conservation Workers" (45-4011).

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)
63,520 2.6 % $26.25 $54,600 1.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.90 $18.50 $24.07 $31.76 $40.69
Annual Wage (2) $30,990 $38,470 $50,070 $66,060 $84,630

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
State government (OES designation) 17,140 $22.93 $47,690
Local government (OES designation) 9,860 $24.13 $50,180
Architectural and engineering services 9,360 $25.07 $52,150
Management and technical consulting services 9,030 $30.47 $63,380
Federal government (OES designation) 5,260 $33.61 $69,900

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Office administrative services (7) $70.62 $146,890
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 180 $37.79 $78,610
Agricultural chemical manufacturing 200 $36.92 $76,790
Electronic markets and agents and brokers (7) $36.65 $76,230
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing 90 $35.54 $73,930

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
Alaska 680 $26.28 $54,660 0.234%
District of Columbia 1,050 $37.16 $77,300 0.176%
New Mexico 1,030 $24.14 $50,210 0.138%
Idaho 650 $27.95 $58,130 0.115%
Washington 2,840 $28.74 $59,790 0.111%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 1,050 $37.16 $77,300 0.176%
California 8,370 $31.17 $64,820 0.058%
Connecticut 610 $30.94 $64,360 0.037%
Massachusetts 1,710 $29.34 $61,030 0.055%
Nevada 500 $29.04 $60,400 0.046%

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
Olympia, WA PMSA 470 $24.61 $51,180 0.550%
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA 360 $35.56 $73,960 0.449%
Tallahassee, FL MSA 600 $22.00 $45,770 0.395%
Trenton, NJ PMSA 770 $30.81 $64,090 0.355%
Santa Fe, NM MSA 200 $23.04 $47,930 0.262%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Ventura, CA PMSA (7) $39.53 $82,220 (7)
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,040 $35.92 $74,720 0.108%
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA 360 $35.56 $73,960 0.449%
Orange County, CA PMSA 770 $35.34 $73,520 0.053%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA (7) $33.97 $70,660 (7)

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005