Environmental Engineers Salary
In Salinas, CA, environmental engineers earn $126,670 at the median, or about $60.9 an hour. The range runs from $61K at the entry level to $197K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.04), so that salary is closer to $116,168 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,684/month, about 35.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $127K actually covers in Salinas, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salinas’s Regional Price Parity (109.04). 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 Salinas
Salinas sits well above the national pay line for environmental engineers, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $107K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,684/month, which is 36% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.04), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for environmental engineers in metros near Salinas, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $133K | $125K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $128K | $113K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $139K | $120K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $119K | $107K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salinas, CA
Entry-level environmental engineers (10th percentile) start around $61K. Mid-career wages sit at $127K. Top earners bring in $197K or more, a $136K 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 Salinas 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 Salinas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $127K, rent takes 36% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,684/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for environmental engineers in Salinas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new environmental engineers typically earn — is $61K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,091/month. At HUD’s $2,684/month FMR, rent would take 66% 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 Salinas?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $127K here vs. $107K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 9% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Salinas compare to the national average for environmental engineers?
Salinas pays $127K median vs. the U.S. average of $107K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.04), the purchasing-power equivalent is $116K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do environmental engineers make in Salinas, CA?
The median is $126,670 a year, that works out to about $61 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,030, and experienced environmental engineers can clear $196,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $127K enough to live in Salinas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,451/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,684/month, which eats 36% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a environmental engineers salary go in Salinas?
Salinas has a Regional Price Parity of 109.04 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median environmental engineers salary is worth about $116,168 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.