Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-2041
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 19-2041 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 5.5%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 49/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $82,220
- H-1B offered wage $81,529; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 10,300
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +4.4%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 488
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 17,761 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
Physician Assistants
Skills to build:
Optometrists
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Compensation and Benefits Managers
Skills to build:
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~52.2% of this role but only ~5.5% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Environmental Analyst, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist), Environmental Health Specialist, Environmental Programs Specialist, Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental Scientist
Representative Tasks
- •Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
- •Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
- •Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
- •Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
- •Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Provide technical information or assistance to public.
- •Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
- •Monitor environmental impacts of production or development activities.
- •Compile environmental or climatological data.
- •Develop environmental sustainability plans or projects.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 5.5% | 9.7% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 37% Bright |
| Median Salary | $82,220 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 95/100 | N/A |