Environmental Scientist job description

Environmental scientists collect soil, water, and air samples, run assessments and models, and write the reports that regulators and clients act on: permitting, contamination investigation, cleanup design, impact statements, and compliance monitoring. State government employs 28 percent of them, consulting firms 19 percent, local government 13 percent, and engineering services 11 percent, so the work usually pairs desk analysis with scheduled site visits rather than being one or the other. BLS counted 93,400 in 2025, projects growth of 6 percent by 2035 with about 7,300 openings each year, and put median pay at $82,220 for May 2025, $39.53 an hour. Employers expect a bachelor's degree.