Environmental Engineers Salary
In Dover, DE, environmental engineers earn $95,720 at the median, or about $46.02 an hour. The range runs from $73K at the entry level to $124K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.51), that's roughly $98,164 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,470/month, or 24.5% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $96K actually covers in Dover, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Dover’s Regional Price Parity (97.51). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About environmental engineers
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What this looks like in Dover
Pay for environmental engineers in Dover runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $107K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,470/month, 25% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 97.51) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, Dover can be a reasonable trade-off for environmental engineers who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for environmental engineers in metros near Dover, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $129K | $126K |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $98K | $93K |
| Trenton-Princeton | $92K | $89K |
| Pittsburgh | $98K | $104K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Dover, DE
Entry-level environmental engineers (10th percentile) start around $73K. Mid-career wages sit at $96K. Top earners bring in $124K or more, a $51K spread from bottom to top.
Environmental Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Environmental Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | $131K | +22% | 340 |
| California | $130K | +22% | 4,550 |
| Oregon | $127K | +19% | 650 |
| Washington | $125K | +17% | 1,920 |
| Texas | $123K | +15% | 1,940 |
| Nebraska | $121K | +13% | 270 |
| Idaho | $118K | +10% | 400 |
| Florida | $117K | +9% | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $116K | +8% | 1,880 |
| Minnesota | $116K | +8% | 1,080 |
| Connecticut | $115K | +7% | 450 |
| Ohio | $113K | +6% | 730 |
| Alaska | $110K | +3% | 260 |
| Nevada | $110K | +2% | 290 |
| New Mexico | $108K | +1% | 500 |
| Illinois | $108K | +1% | 940 |
| Hawaii | $108K | +1% | 150 |
| Kentucky | $108K | +0% | 350 |
| Colorado | $107K | -0% | 1,320 |
| Wyoming | $106K | -1% | 200 |
| Michigan | $105K | -2% | 810 |
| Virginia | $105K | -2% | 1,010 |
| Utah | $103K | -3% | 410 |
| Pennsylvania | $103K | -4% | 1,750 |
| Alabama | $103K | -4% | 780 |
| New Jersey | $103K | -4% | 990 |
| New York | $101K | -5% | 3,170 |
| Rhode Island | $101K | -6% | 200 |
| Montana | $100K | -7% | 300 |
| North Carolina | $99K | -7% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $99K | -8% | 90 |
| Missouri | $98K | -8% | 510 |
| Maryland | $98K | -9% | 1,030 |
| Tennessee | $97K | -9% | 540 |
| Georgia | $97K | -10% | 830 |
| South Carolina | $96K | -10% | 560 |
| Delaware | $96K | -11% | 150 |
| Iowa | $95K | -11% | 150 |
| Kansas | $94K | -12% | 320 |
| Arizona | $94K | -12% | 690 |
| Maine | $94K | -12% | 220 |
| Vermont | $93K | -14% | 110 |
| Indiana | $92K | -14% | 520 |
| Oklahoma | $92K | -14% | 530 |
| North Dakota | $91K | -15% | 90 |
| Mississippi | $91K | -15% | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $90K | -16% | 890 |
| New Hampshire | $89K | -17% | 210 |
| Arkansas | $85K | -20% | 210 |
| West Virginia | $83K | -22% | 370 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track environmental engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Dover numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a environmental engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Dover?
Yes — at the median salary of $96K, rent takes 25% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,470/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for environmental engineers in Dover?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new environmental engineers typically earn — is $73K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,707/month. At HUD’s $1,470/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is environmental engineer a high-paying job in Dover?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $96K here vs. $107K nationally.
How does Dover compare to the national average for environmental engineers?
Dover pays $96K median vs. the U.S. average of $107K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $98K — below the national median.
How much do environmental engineers make in Dover, DE?
The median is $95,720 a year, that works out to about $46 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $73,490, and experienced environmental engineers can clear $124,110. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $96K enough to live in Dover?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,888/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,470/month, which eats 25% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a environmental engineers salary go in Dover?
Dover has a Regional Price Parity of 97.51 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median environmental engineers salary is worth about $98,164 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do environmental engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.