Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

Median salary

$55,090

Average salary

$60,800

Employment

34,670

Projected growth

4% growth

Annual openings

5,600

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health Do

Perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other specialist. May collect samples of gases, soil, water, and other materials for testing.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.6/5
Chemistryimportance 3.5/5
English Languageimportance 3.5/5
Biologyimportance 3.4/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.4/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.4/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Time Pressure4.3/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.1/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.1/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Traffic Technicians95% skill match
Power Distributors and Dispatchers94% skill match
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists93% skill match
Fish and Game Wardens93% skill match
Air Traffic Controllers93% skill match
Medical Dosimetrists93% skill match
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters93% skill match
Airfield Operations Specialists93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Intellectual Curiosity
Adaptability
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeHigh
ConventionalMedium
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where environmental science and protection technicians, including health make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Charleston, WV7.54× national avg
2Beckley, WV7.08× national avg
3Fort Collins-Loveland, CO6.06× national avg
4Anchorage, AK5.42× national avg
5Iowa City, IA5.03× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsLateral Move
Food Scientists and TechnologistsLateral Move
Medical DosimetristsCareer Change
Forensic Science TechniciansLateral Move

See the full career path from Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.