Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Environmental Engineer is a professional role in the Architecture and Engineering job family, focused on Environmental Engineer work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Environmental Engineers do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
Top skills:WritingSpeakingReading ComprehensionMonitoringCritical ThinkingActive Listening
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Environmental Engineer salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
18,250 workers
$117,500
Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS
12,240 workers
$113,000
State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
7,340 workers
$108,000
Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
2,780 workers
$113,000
Sectors 31, 32, and 33 – Manufacturing
2,670 workers
$124,000
Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)
2,350 workers
$128,500
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
1,670 workers
$116,500
Management of Companies and Enterprises
1,040 workers
$126,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Environmental Engineer pays 11% above the average across 36 roles in the Architecture and Engineering job family (family average $105,500).
Similar-paying roles in Architecture and Engineering
The average base salary for a Environmental Engineer in the United States is $117,000 per year, or about $56.25 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $86,500 and $139,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Architecture and Engineering roles?
The Architecture and Engineering job family averages $105,500 across 36 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
