Environmental Engineer
Engineering
Solve pollution, water, and climate problems with engineering.
Why it matters here: Chesapeake Bay restoration funds steady regional projects.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Environmental EngineerLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$85,020
- Environmental Engineer (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$109,100
- Senior / Lead Environmental EngineerOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$138,430
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$166,116
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Office analysis plus field sampling, weekday hours
Where you work
A consulting or agency office, plus field sites — treatment plants, streams, remediation sites and construction projects.
Hours and schedule
Weekday hours; field days start early and permit deadlines create crunch.
Pace and pressure
Report- and permit-driven, with field campaigns concentrated into a few weeks.
Who you work with
You work with regulators, clients, field technicians and community stakeholders.
Physical demands
Field days involve walking rough terrain, carrying sampling gear, and weather exposure.
What people wear
Business casual in the office; field clothes, boots and PPE outside.
Remote reality
Hybrid for analysis and reporting; field work is on site.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Data integrity is paramount — regulatory submissions are legally binding.
- Community meetings are part of the job, and explaining risk plainly matters.
- Chain of custody on samples is handled with the same rigor as forensic work.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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