Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$59,920

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$48,200 – $75,960

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

12,190

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.1%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

1,100

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.

Main tasks

• Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing.
• Assist in the cleanup of hazardous material spills.
• Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
• Receive, set up, test, or decontaminate equipment.
• Inspect facilities to monitor compliance with regulations governing substances, such as asbestos, lead, or wastewater.
• Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
• Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
• Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

O*NET Job Zone 4

Considerable preparation

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 5 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

  $55,090 median · +6.9% projected

• Environmental Engineers

  $107,110 median · +6.3% projected

• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

  $82,220 median · +6.1% projected

• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

  $60,020 median · -5.7% projected

• Industrial Engineers

  $102,440 median · +12.4% projected

• Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $66,120 median · +3.1% projected