Environmental Engineers
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 17-2081.00United States
Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.
- Median annual earnings
- $107,022
- Projected change
- +7.4%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 40.35K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
66.7% of the workforce
Growing to 43.32K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What environmental engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
- Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
- Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
- Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
- Provide technical support for environmental remediation or litigation projects, including remediation system design or determination of regulatory applicability.
- Develop site-specific health and safety protocols, such as spill contingency plans or methods for loading or transporting waste.
- Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures.
- Advise industries or government agencies about environmental policies and standards.
- Assist in budget implementation, forecasts, or administration.
- Coordinate or manage environmental protection programs or projects, assigning or evaluating work.
- Prepare or present public briefings on the status of environmental engineering projects.
- Obtain, update, or maintain plans, permits, or standard operating procedures.
- Inspect industrial or municipal facilities or programs to evaluate operational effectiveness or ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
- Direct installation or operation of environmental monitoring devices or supervise related data collection programs.
- Request bids from suppliers or consultants.
- Inform company employees or other interested parties of environmental issues.
- Provide administrative support for projects by collecting data, providing project documentation, training staff, or performing other general administrative duties.
- Serve as liaison with federal, state, or local agencies or officials on issues pertaining to solid or hazardous waste program requirements.
- Develop or present environmental compliance training or orientation sessions.
- Provide environmental engineering assistance in network analysis, regulatory analysis, or planning or reviewing database development.
- Provide assistance with planning, quality assurance, safety inspection protocols, or sampling as part of a team conducting multimedia inspections at complex facilities.
- Develop, implement, or manage plans or programs related to conservation or management of natural resources.
- Prepare hazardous waste manifests or land disposal restriction notifications.
- Attend professional conferences to share information.
- Write reports or articles for Web sites or newsletters related to environmental engineering issues.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $69,698
- 25th percentile
- $83,259
- 50th percentile
- $107,022
- 75th percentile
- $135,775
- 90th percentile
- $163,991
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $107,022 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.4%faster than average
202540,352 jobs
2035 projected43,320 jobs
2,968 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 66.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 28.6%
- Associate degree
- 4.8%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Environmental Engineers2,279 postings
- 02Environmental Remediation Engineers127 postings
- 03Environmental Engineering Interns116 postings
- 04Staff Environmental Engineers102 postings
- 05Environmental Project Engineers82 postings
- 06Environmental Compliance Engineers73 postings
- 07Environmental Test Engineers58 postings
- 08Lead Environmental Engineers48 postings
- 09Electromagnetic Engineers45 postings
- 10Environmental Professionals45 postings
- 11Environmental Engineer Assistants43 postings
- 12Environmental Sustainability Managers36 postings
- 13Environmental Engineering Consultants33 postings
- 14Environmental Engineering Technicians32 postings
- 15Environmental Engineering Managers27 postings
- 16Environmental Permitting Specialists27 postings
- 17Environmental Protection Specialists27 postings
- 18Design Engineers25 postings
- 19Environmental Department Managers24 postings
- 20Environment Engineers21 postings
Top employers
- 01CDM Smith380 postings
- 02Actalent103 postings
- 03AECOM75 postings
- 04Amazon71 postings
- 05Jacobs Solutions64 postings
- 06WSP Global62 postings
- 07GPAC57 postings
- 08Terracon Consultants51 postings
- 09GHD44 postings
- 10Northrop Grumman43 postings
- 11Roux Associates43 postings
- 12Geosyntec Consultants41 postings
- 13Arcadis36 postings
- 14Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania36 postings
- 15Burns & McDonnell32 postings
- 16Brown And Caldwell30 postings
- 17APTIM28 postings
- 18Barr Engineering Co.27 postings
- 19Howmet Aerospace27 postings
- 20Lockheed Martin26 postings
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