Post by: Jennifer Schultz, ECO Canada
While there are other incentives and benefits, salary compensation remains a top factor in employee satisfaction. But how does your salary compare to the national average? To help answer this question, ECO Canada recently conducted studies on 6 environmental sub-sectors: Energy, Site Assessment & Reclamation, Air Quality, Environmental Health & Safety, Water Quality and Sustainability.
Within these sub-sectors, core occupations were investigated including identifying the average starting salaries and salaries for workers with at least 5 years of experience. Note: only 6 areas of environmental employment out of 14 are included here. For a full list of environmental employment areas, see the EP specializations.
Top paying environmental jobs by sub-sector
| Sub-Sector | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | Occupation with Highest Starting Salary |
| Energy | $63,108 | $104,362 | Energy Engineers |
| Air Quality | $56,686 | $89,320 | Occupational Hygienists (Indoor Air Quality Focus) |
| Water Quality | $55,284 | $84,239 | Hydrogeologists |
| Site Assessment & Reclamation | $54,540 | $88,043 | Managers/Directors |
| Environmental Health & Safety | $50,350 | $81,517 | EHS Managers/Directors |
| Sustainability | $49,552 | $72,416 | Chief Sustainability Officers |
See top paying jobs in energy
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| Energy Engineer | $80,833 | $150,455 | 86% |
| Business Development / Marketing Manager | $78,696 | $132,339 | 68% |
| Energy Policy Analyst or Attorney (excl. government) | $74,818 | $125,091 | 67% |
| Senior Manager, Production Manager & Supervisor | $71,432 | $145,622 | 104% |
| Renewable Power Project Manager | $70,667 | $101,467 | 44% |
See top paying jobs in site assessment & reclamation
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| Manager / Director | $72,875 | $112,500 | 54% |
| Hydrogeologist | $64,333 | $114,667 | 78% |
| Project Manager | $61,621 | $104,808 | 70% |
| Environmental Consultant | $59,000 | $103,000 | 75% |
| Environmental Engineer | $57,325 | $94,526 | 65% |
See top paying jobs in air quality
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| Senior Manager / Director | N/A | $133,000 | N/A |
| Occupational Hygienist (Indoor Air Quality Focus) | $67,750 | $92,650 | 37% |
| GHG Auditor | $62,500 | $92,125 | 47% |
| Air Quality Project Manager (Scientist, Engineer) | $60,500 | $108,722 | 80% |
| Air Quality Auditor | $60,000 | $85,000 | 42% |
See top paying jobs in environmental health & safety
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| EHS Manager/Director | $66,900 | $103,000 | 54% |
| EHS Engineer | $57,900 | $98,600 | 70% |
| EHS Coordinator/Advisor/Specialist | $56,200 | $86,900 | 55% |
| Occupational Hygienist | $44,700 | $78,300 | 75% |
| EHS Technician | $39,700 | $67,300 | 70% |
See top paying jobs in water quality
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| Hydrogeologist | $74,100 | $114,800 | 55% |
| Environmental Health & Safety Professional (Water Quality Focus) | $65,111 | $86,000 | 32% |
| Watershed Officer | $63,485 | $81,729 | 29% |
| Water Well Driller & Pump Installer | $62,486 | $108,660 | 74% |
| Utility Engineer | $57,583 | $86,813 | 51% |
See top paying jobs in sustainability
| Occupation | Average Starting Salary | Average Salary for Workers with 5+ Years of Experience | 5-year Gain |
| Chief Sustainability Officer | $80,547 | $105,119 | 31% |
| Sustainability Consultant | $55,761 | $68,940 | 24% |
| Sustainability Professional – Officer | $54,076 | $63,222 | 17% |
| Sustainability Researcher | $53,142 | $61,251 | 15% |
| Sustainability Educator | $44,830 | $80,402 | 79% |
Looking for more job salaries? View our compensation guide.
National vs. Provincial Wages
While knowing national average salaries is helpful, keep in mind they can vary widely across provinces. For example, according to Statistics Canada, New Brunswick’s average salary across all occupations is nearly 11% lower than the Canadian average, while Alberta’s is more than 20% higher. See how your province compares to the national salary average:
| NL | PEI | NS | NB | QC | ON | MB | SK | AB | BC | YT | NWT | NU |
| -9.6% | -6.9% | -6.9% | -10.9% | -4.9% | 0.0% | -2.2% | 9.0% | 20.1% | -4.5% | 26.2% | 27.1% | -7.2% |
Conclusion
Knowing the market value of your environmental job can serve as a handy guideline when negotiating your salary or researching your dream career. But remember, salary is only one part of your compensation package.
Sources: Careers in Air Quality: Occupational Profiles Report, ECO Canada, 2013 Occupations of Energy Professionals: Scoping Report, ECO Canada, 2012 Careers in Environmental Health and Safety: Occupational Profiles Report, ECO Canada,2013 Careers in Site Assessment and Reclamation: Occupational Profiles Report, ECO Canada, 2013 Occupations of Sustainability Professionals: Scoping Report, ECO Canada, 2012 Careers in Water Quality: Occupational Profiles Report, ECO Canada, 2013
See the latest ECO Canada environmental research.
