Headline risk
2%
Very Low RiskEnvironmental scientists and specialists, including health
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 4% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 80,060
Employment 2024
90.3K
Projected Change (2024–34)
4.4%
Openings (2024–34)
8.5K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change. AI use: 0%
- 2. Develop environmental restoration project schedules and budgets. AI use: 0%
- 3. Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects. AI use: 0%
- 4. Provide technical direction on environmental planning to energy engineers, biologists, geologists, or other professionals working to develop restoration plans or strategies. AI use: 0%
- 5. Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes. AI use: 0%
- 6. Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 40.3 · 63K employed
Under 25: 10% · 25–54: 73% · 55+: 17%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Environmental scientists and specialists conduct research or investigations to protect the environment or human health.
Environmental scientists and specialists typically work in office settings and laboratories but may spend time in the field. Most environmental scientists and specialists work full time.
To enter the occupation, environmental scientists and specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in natural science or a related field.
The median annual wage for environmental scientists and specialists was $80,060 in May 2024.
Employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.