Environmental Science Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Environmental Science maps to BLS occupations averaging about $114,081, with roughly 34,200 workers nationwide in those roles. Common paths include Environmental Engineers and Biological Scientists, All Other.
Key Statistics
Environmental Science: what the data shows
Common questions about environmental science degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a environmental science degree?
A Environmental Science program is classified under NCES CIP in the Health Professions and Related Programs field family (00.00).
What do you learn in environmental science?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Writing, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Environmental Engineers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a environmental science degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Environmental Science to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineers | 37,950 | $104,170 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Conservation Scientists | 25,590 | $67,950 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Environmental Science and the types of students that study this field.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
N/A Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Environmental Science from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Environmental Science.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Environmental Science programs across institutions.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $114,081. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Environmental Science graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineers | $131,201 | 37,950 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $124,288 | 59,710 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,151 | 16,600 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Conservation Scientists | $90,227 | 25,590 |
| Animal Scientists | — | 2,470 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$116,429 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Environmental Science majors is $116,429.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Environmental Science majors.
Occupations by Share
34,200 2023 Workforce
The number of Environmental Science graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Environmental Science by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Environmental Science in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Environmental Science.
Age distribution for Environmental Science degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Environmental Science degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Environmental Science degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Environmental Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Environmental Science.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Environmental Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Environmental Science majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Environmental Science majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Environmental Science majors.
About
Environmental Science
In 2023, N/A degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Environmental Science.
CIP Code
- Environmental Science
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $114,081. The largest mapped role by headcount is Environmental Engineers (37,950 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.