---
title: "Industrial Ecologist"
description: "Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/industrial-ecologist"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Industrial Ecologist

**Category:** Life, Physical, and Social Science · **SOC code:** 19-2041 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 19-2041.03

Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.

Also advertised as: Ecologist; Environmental Consultant; Environmental Protection Agency Counselor; Research Scientist; Researcher.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $82,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $39.53/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $52,520 to $140,010, with the middle half between $64,490 and $107,970
- **Total US employment:** 89,250
- **Typical entry education:** Bachelor's
- **Preparation required:** Considerable preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +6.1% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 7,300 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 14/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 89,250 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $52,520 |
| 25th | $64,490 |
| 50th (median) | $82,220 |
| 75th | $107,970 |
| 90th | $140,010 |
| Mean (average) | $91,680 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DC | $132,620 | $120,672 | 1,270 |
| CA | $106,510 | $96,198 | 12,490 |
| RI | $100,730 | $98,485 | 330 |
| MA | $100,640 | $95,162 | 2,930 |
| WA | $98,300 | $91,858 | 4,470 |
| OR | $97,440 | $94,272 | 1,370 |
| TX | $92,000 | $94,790 | 5,630 |
| AK | $91,960 | $89,841 | 860 |
| UT | $90,710 | $91,752 | 1,020 |
| MN | $88,000 | $89,230 | 2,260 |
| NM | $86,630 | $93,947 | 940 |
| CO | $85,990 | $83,443 | 2,580 |
| GA | $85,710 | $89,010 | 1,750 |
| ND | $84,570 | $95,066 | 240 |
| MD | $84,190 | $80,212 | 1,760 |

39 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 54 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/industrial-ecologist/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/industrial-ecologist.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 93,400 in the 2025–2035 base year to 99,200 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 5,700 jobs, or +6.1%. Faster than average: 6.1% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 7,300 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Bachelor's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Considerable preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** None.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Master's Degree | 65.2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 21.7% |
| Doctoral Degree | 8.7% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 4.4% |

## What the work involves

- Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.
- Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes.
- Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.
- Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.
- Review research literature to maintain knowledge on topics related to industrial ecology, such as physical science, technology, economy, and public policy.
- Examine local, regional, or global use and flow of materials or energy in industrial production processes.
- Build and maintain databases of information about energy alternatives, pollutants, natural environments, industrial processes, and other information related to ecological change.
- Translate the theories of industrial ecology into eco-industrial practices.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Science — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Analysis — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Evaluation — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Persuasion — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mathematics — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Engineering and Technology — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Chemistry — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Physics — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Deductive Reasoning — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Inductive Reasoning — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Expression — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Comprehension — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Investigative (I), Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| I — Investigative | 7.00 |
| R — Realistic | 4.62 |
| C — Conventional | 3.98 |
| E — Enterprising | 3.04 |
| A — Artistic | 2.14 |
| S — Social | 1.95 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTP | 83.3 |
| INTJ | 82.5 |
| ISTJ | 78.9 |
| INTP | 74.1 |
| ESTP | 57.8 |

Best-fitting types: ISTP, INTJ, ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-scientist-and-specialist) — median $82,220
- [Conservation Scientist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/conservation-scientist) — median $73,010
- [Environmental Restoration Planner](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-restoration-planner) — median $82,220
- [Water Resource Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/water-resource-specialist) — median $167,220
- [Soil and Plant Scientist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/soil-and-plant-scientist) — median $78,850
- [Environmental Engineer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-engineer) — median $107,110
- [Hydrologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/hydrologist) — median $96,600
- [Climate Change Policy Analyst](https://nuecareer.com/careers/climate-change-policy-analyst) — median $82,220
- [Environmental Science and Protection Technician, Including Health](https://nuecareer.com/careers/environmental-science-and-protection-technician) — median $55,090
- [Brownfield Redevelopment Specialist and Site Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/brownfield-redevelopment-specialist-and-site-manager) — median $141,900

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/industrial-ecologist