Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health fall under the Life, Physical, and Social Science category in the U.S. occupational classification. Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health earn a median salary of $80,060 per year, ranking in the top 24% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.4% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do environmental scientists and specialists, including health earn?

The median annual wage for environmental scientists and specialists, including health is $80,060. That puts environmental scientists and specialists, including health at #191 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Is environmental scientists and specialists, including health a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for environmental scientists and specialists, including health is +4.4%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 90K positions in 2024 to 94K in 2034, a net change of 4K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.

What do environmental scientists and specialists, including health do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working environmental scientists and specialists, including health, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

1. 1.Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
2. 2.Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
3. 3.Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.
4. 4.Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
5. 5.Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
6. 6.Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
7. 7.Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
8. 8.Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.

Top skills for environmental scientists and specialists, including health

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

What education does my child need to become environmental scientists and specialists, including health?

The standard path into environmental scientists and specialists, including health begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Related careers your child might also consider

• Physicists
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• Astronomers
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• Physical Scientists, All Other
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• Psychologists, All Other
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• Economists
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Common questions parents ask about environmental scientists and specialists, including health