State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Environmental Compliance Inspector Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Environmental Compliance Inspectors earn a median of $80,730 per year ($38.81/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.0% through 2034, with about 33,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 13-1041Business and Financial OperationsLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $80,730
- Projected growth
- +3.0%
- Openings a year
- 33,300
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Air Permitting and Enforcement Inspector, Compliance Investigator, Enforcement Officer, Environmental Compliance Inspector, Environmental Inspector, Environmental Protection Specialist.
How much do Environmental Compliance Inspectors make?
10th percentile$48,220
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$61,280
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$80,730
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$109,010
Upper quartile
90th percentile$133,720
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $80,730 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $38.81/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $88,400 |
| People employed | 417,070 |
Versus all US occupations
At $80,730, Environmental Compliance Inspectors earn 58% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $29,750 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
The median is typical for the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $133,720 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,220, a gap of 2.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 67% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $111,030, and still leads at $101,027 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Environmental Compliance Inspectors the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,030 | $101,027 | 4,380 |
| Massachusetts | $102,060 | $96,504 | 13,190 |
| New Jersey | $100,000 | $91,908 | 13,310 |
| California | $96,980 | $87,590 | 49,880 |
| Connecticut | $91,810 | $88,611 | 3,610 |
| Delaware | $91,050 | $91,225 | 2,150 |
| Vermont | $90,420 | $92,305 | 1,960 |
| New York | $90,080 | $83,468 | 23,500 |
| Washington | $88,790 | $82,971 | 11,130 |
| Rhode Island | $87,620 | $85,667 | 970 |
Is Environmental Compliance Inspector a growing career?
Environmental Compliance Inspectors3.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Environmental Compliance Inspectors to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 12,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 33,300 openings are projected each year, 8.0% of the 418,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for compliance officers will stem from the need for businesses and government agencies to comply with various laws and regulations. Compliance officers will be needed to understand the complexities of these regulations and to help their employers avoid the costs associated with noncompliance.
How to become an Environmental Compliance Inspector
Compliance officers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. They often receive training on the job. Employers may prefer or require candidates to have experience related to the position.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as environmental compliance inspectors.
- Bachelor's Degree75.0%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)15.0%
- High School Diploma10.0%
What does an Environmental Compliance Inspector do?
Inspect and investigate sources of pollution to protect the public and environment and ensure conformance with Federal, State, and local regulations and ordinances.
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare, organize, and maintain inspection records.
- Monitor follow-up actions in cases where violations were found, and review compliance monitoring reports.
- Interview individuals to determine the nature of suspected violations and to obtain evidence of violations.
- Inform individuals and groups of pollution control regulations and inspection findings, and explain how problems can be corrected.
- Research and keep informed of pertinent information and developments in areas such as EPA laws and regulations.
- Learn and observe proper safety precautions, rules, regulations, and practices so that unsafe conditions can be recognized and proper safety protocols implemented.
- Determine the nature of code violations and actions to be taken, and issue written notices of violation, participating in enforcement hearings, as necessary.
- Determine which sites and violation reports to investigate, and coordinate compliance and enforcement activities with other government agencies.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where environmental compliance inspectors work
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 37% |
|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 12% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 9% |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 8% |
| Manufacturing | 4% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Monitoring3.8/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Operations Monitoring3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4/5
- Systems Evaluation3.4/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.3/5
- Systems Analysis3.3/5
- Coordination3.0/5
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Environmental Compliance Inspector?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.6
Investigativeprimary4.8
Artistic1.1
Social2.4
Enterprising3.2
Conventionalprimary5.8
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Environmental Compliance Inspector: frequently asked questions
How much do Environmental Compliance Inspectors make?
Environmental Compliance Inspectors earn a median of $80,730 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 58% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $38.81/hr. The middle half earn between $61,280 and $109,010. The top 10% earn $133,720 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Environmental Compliance Inspector?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Environmental Compliance Inspectors, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 75.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Environmental Compliance Inspector a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 33,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Environmental Compliance Inspector do?
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements. A core O*NET task: prepare, organize, and maintain inspection records. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Environmental Compliance Inspectors the most?
The highest state medians for Environmental Compliance Inspectors are District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), New Jersey ($100,000) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Environmental Compliance Inspector?
O*NET scores Environmental Compliance Inspectors highest on the Conventional, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.