Public Health Career · BLS May 2025
Environmental Health Specialist Jobs and Salary
What Do Environmental Health Specialist Jobs Pay, and What Training Do They Need?
Environmental health specialist jobs in workplace health and safety paid a median $90,150 in May 2025, across 140,610 positions in the BLS occupational health and safety specialist category. A bachelor's degree is the usual entry point; an MPH or MS in environmental health helps with senior, research and certification-track roles. California (16,230 jobs, $102,840 median) is the standout market. Compare environmental health MPH programs.
Environmental and Occupational Health Specialist Pay: $55,000 to $134,950
The median is the midpoint: half of occupational health and safety specialists earned more and half less. The 90th percentile shows where experienced and senior roles land; the 10th, where many new graduates start.
What an Environmental Health Specialist Does
Environmental health specialists protect people from hazards in the places they live and work. The title covers two overlapping kinds of jobs. Health department specialists run community environmental health programs, and the credential built for them is NEHA’s Registered Environmental Health Specialist / Registered Sanitarian. Workplace specialists, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks as occupational health and safety specialists, focus on the hazards workers face. The pay figures on this page come from that BLS workplace category.
BLS describes the workplace side of the environmental health specialist job description this way:
- Inspect, test and evaluate workplace environments, programs, equipment and practices
- Design programs and procedures that control or prevent chemical, physical and other risks
- Educate employers and workers about workplace safety
- Investigate incidents to find the cause and how to prevent a repeat
Expect to be on your feet. BLS notes the work may involve considerable travel and fieldwork, and specialists use gloves, helmets, respirators and other protective equipment on site.
Where Environmental Health Specialist Jobs Are
| Employer | Share of jobs |
|---|---|
| Government (excluding schools and hospitals) | 18% |
| Manufacturing | 17% |
| Construction | 17% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 8% |
| Management, scientific and technical consulting | 6% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, occupational health and safety specialists.
Unlike epidemiology, where government dominates, private industry is a major employer here. Manufacturing and construction each rival the government share, and consulting firms hire specialists to work across many client sites. If you want health department inspection work instead, the credential to plan for is the REHS/RS, covered below.
Environmental Health Specialist Salary by State
Pay is strong compared with most public health jobs, with a national median of $90,150. The highest medians are in the District of Columbia ($111,530, 280 jobs), Massachusetts ($103,970, 3,390 jobs), Washington ($102,920, 3,570 jobs), California ($102,840, 16,230 jobs) and Colorado ($101,400, 3,080 jobs).
The largest job markets:
| State | Jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 17,920 | $79,660 |
| California | 16,230 | $102,840 |
| New York | 6,840 | $95,720 |
| Ohio | 6,820 | $91,460 |
| Florida | 6,760 | $88,820 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,890 | $87,050 |
| North Carolina | 4,670 | $86,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Texas is the biggest market by job count, yet its $79,660 median is among the lowest in the country, well under the national figure. California offers nearly as many jobs at a $102,840 median. At the bottom, Puerto Rico ($45,630, 1,430 jobs), Arkansas ($73,130, 850 jobs), Oklahoma ($79,890, 1,690 jobs) and Delaware ($81,120, 600 jobs) have the lowest medians among states.
Within the occupation, a quarter of specialists earned less than $69,560, and a quarter earned more than $111,690.
Environmental Health Specialist Education Requirements
BLS sets the entry bar at a bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety or a related field, such as biology or healthcare, and notes that some positions require a master’s degree. So an MPH is not the only way in, and for many inspection and safety jobs it isn’t required at all.
Where a master’s helps:
- Senior and specialized roles. Positions that require a master’s, and roles in research, toxicology or program leadership.
- Certification. BLS notes that certification typically requires graduating from an accredited educational program, completing work experience and passing an exam, and that employers may prefer or require it.
- Switching fields. If your bachelor’s isn’t in science, a master’s in environmental health adds the science coursework that credentials such as the REHS/RS count toward eligibility.
Of the 134 environmental health programs on this site, 86 are MPH degrees and 45 are MS degrees. The MS options often go deep into one technical area: the University of Puerto Rico offers an MS in Industrial Hygiene, UAB offers an MSPH with an Industrial Hygiene concentration, and Columbia offers one-year MS tracks in Toxicology and Environmental Health Data Science.
Environmental Health Specialist Certification
Two credentials cover most of this field, and which one you need depends on the job.
| REHS/RS | CSP | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Registered Environmental Health Specialist / Registered Sanitarian | Certified Safety Professional |
| Awarded by | National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) | Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) |
| Typical jobs | Health department inspection and environmental health programs | Workplace safety, construction, manufacturing |
| Education | Environmental health degree from an EHAC-accredited program, or any bachelor’s plus 30 semester hours of basic science | At least a bachelor’s degree |
| Experience | None on the EHAC track; otherwise two years of full-time paid environmental health work | Four years of safety, health and environment work, plus a qualifying credential such as the ASP |
| Exam | Two parts, 225 multiple-choice questions | $350 per exam |
Sources: NEHA and BCSP credential pages.
If you see environmental health specialist trainee postings, NEHA’s in-training track is the matching credential route. NEHA lets candidates with a qualifying degree and 30 semester hours of science take the exam before they have work experience, then gives them three years to complete two years of environmental health work. Requirements for registered sanitarians also vary by state, so check your state health department before you apply.
Studying Where the Jobs Are
The states with the most environmental health programs on this site don’t line up neatly with the biggest job markets. New York leads with 16 programs, followed by California (10), Georgia (7), and Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania (6 each). Texas, the largest job market, has 5.
| State | Environmental health programs on this site | Specialist jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 16 | 6,840 | $95,720 |
| California | 10 | 16,230 | $102,840 |
| Ohio | 6 | 6,820 | $91,460 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 4,890 | $87,050 |
| Texas | 5 | 17,920 | $79,660 |
Program counts from this site’s program records; jobs and pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
If you plan to work in Texas, the in-state choice is small, so compare Texas options such as UTHealth Houston with online programs from other states, such as the Eastern Kentucky and Illinois Springfield programs listed below. Every CEPH-accredited MPH, online or not, includes an applied practice experience, which you can aim at the Texas employers you want to work for. In California and New York, you can choose among on-campus programs close to large, well-paid job markets.
Choosing an Environmental Health Program
Environmental health is one of the cheaper public health fields to study. Among 42 programs that publish a per-credit rate, the median is $620 a credit, and across 39 programs estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) has a median of $26,404.
| Program | Credits | Per credit | Estimated tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Puerto Rico MPH in Environmental Health | 58 quarter credits | $205 | $11,890 |
| UTHealth Houston MPH (Texas resident rate) | 45 | $287 | $12,915 |
| University of Puerto Rico MS in Industrial Hygiene | 66 quarter credits | $205 | $13,530 |
| UNLV MPH (Environmental and Global Health track) | 47 (minimum) | $383.25 | $18,013 |
| NYU MPH: Environmental Health and Sustainability | 46 | $2,507 | $115,322 |
Testing is rarely a barrier: 48 programs say the GRE is not required, 28 make it optional and only 1 requires it. The Puerto Rico MPH can be finished in one year and a summer on the day schedule.
For working adults, 32 programs offer an online format. The Eastern Kentucky University online MPH includes an Environmental/Occupational Health and Sustainability concentration at $540 a credit, and the University of Illinois Springfield MPH in Environmental Health runs 48 credits online, on campus or hybrid. See all online MPH programs.
How to Choose Your Path
- Pick the credential first. If you want health department inspection, plan for the REHS/RS and look for environmental health coursework with enough science credits. If you want industrial safety, plan for the CSP route.
- Check accreditation. 125 of the 134 programs are at CEPH-accredited schools, which matters for public-sector jobs that require it and for the CPH credential. Read the CEPH accreditation guide for details.
- Weigh cost against local pay. A $12,915 Texas-resident MPH at UTHealth fits Texas’s $79,660 median; a $115,322 private program is much harder to justify there.
- Consider neighboring careers. Environmental epidemiology is a common crossover; compare the epidemiologist career and the epidemiology programs.
BLS projects employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians combined to grow 19 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 20,900 openings a year across both roles.
Highest-Paying States for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
| State | Median | 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,530 | $156,750 | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $103,970 | $153,770 | 3,390 |
| Washington | $102,920 | $148,330 | 3,570 |
| California | $102,840 | $161,300 | 16,230 |
| Rhode Island | $101,740 | $149,350 | 200 |
| Colorado | $101,400 | $153,030 | 3,080 |
| New Hampshire | $101,260 | $152,790 | 610 |
| Alaska | $99,270 | $141,950 | 370 |
| Illinois | $98,270 | $137,000 | 2,900 |
| Maine | $97,640 | $118,280 | 600 |
BLS publishes 19-5011 estimates for 53 states. Full list on the MPH salary page.
The MPH Path: Environmental and Occupational Health
134 programs we verified offer environmental and occupational health, as an MPH concentration or a related master's degree. These online MPH programs at CEPH-accredited schools are a place to start:
- MPH
Master of Public Health
University of Alabama at Birmingham · Birmingham, ALOnlineOn campusNo GRESOPHAS6 concentrations- Credits
- 42
- Tuition
- $526/cr
- Length
- 5 sem
CEPH - MPH
- Credits
- 42
- Tuition
- $950/cr
- Length
- 2 yr
CEPH - MPH
Master of Public Health (MPH@GW, Online)
George Washington University · Washington, DCOnlineNo GRE4 concentrations- Credits
- 45
- Tuition
- $2,000/cr
CEPH - MPH
Online Master of Public Health
University of South Florida · Tampa, FLOnlineGRE optionalSOPHAS7 concentrations- Credits
- 42
- Tuition
- $525/cr
- Length
- 21 mo
CEPH - MPH
- Credits
- 42
- Tuition
- $2,060/cr
- Length
- 5 yr
CEPH
All environmental and occupational health programs
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does an Environmental Health Specialist Make an Hour?
The median hourly wage for occupational health and safety specialists was $43.34 in May 2025, and the mean annual wage was $93,860.
What Is an Environmental Health Specialist Trainee?
Usually a new hire working toward full registration. NEHA's REHS/RS credential has an in-training track: candidates with a qualifying degree and science coursework can test before they have the two years of environmental health work experience, then have three years to complete it.
Is This Field Growing?
Yes. BLS projects employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians combined to grow 19 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average, with about 20,900 openings a year across both roles.
Do Environmental Health Specialists Wear Protective Gear?
Often. BLS notes that the work may involve considerable travel and fieldwork and that specialists use gloves, helmets, respirators and other personal protective equipment.
Can You Study Environmental Health Online?
Yes. Of the 134 environmental health programs on this site, 32 offer an online format, including Eastern Kentucky University's 42-credit online MPH with an Environmental/Occupational Health and Sustainability concentration at $540 a credit.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 19-5011 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, May 2025
- Official program pages of the schools listed, reviewed September 2026
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians
- BCSP: Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
- NEHA: REHS/RS credential