Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health vs Microbiologists: $82K vs $88K Median Pay

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health vs Microbiologists: what changes?

Consider Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health if you want to 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. Consider Microbiologists if you would rather investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health and Microbiologists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

National median pay (2025): $82,220
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 7,300

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health brief

Microbiologists

National median pay (2025): $87,990
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,500

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (20,100 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Microbiologists brief

How the national numbers differ

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health has the edge on annual openings

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health is at 7,300 annual openings, compared with 1,500 annual openings for Microbiologists.

Microbiologists has the edge on median pay

Microbiologists is at $87,990, compared with $82,220 for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health.

Microbiologists has the edge on projected growth

Microbiologists is at 6.2% projected growth, compared with 6.1% projected growth for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health.

64.1/ 100

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

55.2/ 100

Microbiologists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health vs Microbiologists

Dimension	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	Microbiologists
Median pay (2025)	$82,220	$87,990
Pay percentile	74.1 percentile	76.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	6.1%	6.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	7,300	1,500
2025 employment	93,400	20,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health brief Read Microbiologists brief

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health vs Microbiologists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Microbiologists

How the national numbers differ

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health has the edge on annual openings

Microbiologists has the edge on median pay

Microbiologists has the edge on projected growth

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health vs Microbiologists

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