Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health Salary
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, environmental science and protection technicians, including healths earn $66,000 at the median, or about $31.73 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $125K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $60,055 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 97.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $66K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). 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 science and protection technicians, including healths
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Santa Cruz-Watsonville sits well above the national pay line for environmental science and protection technicians, including health, local pay runs about 20% higher than the U.S. median of $55K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 96.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), 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 science and protection technicians, including healths in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $63K | $55K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $81K | $70K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $57K | $54K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $58K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level environmental science and protection technicians, including healths (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $66K. Top earners bring in $125K or more, a $77K spread from bottom to top.
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $67K | +22% | 850 |
| Nebraska | $66K | +20% | 140 |
| Connecticut | $66K | +20% | N/A |
| Minnesota | $65K | +19% | 450 |
| Rhode Island | $65K | +18% | 90 |
| New York | $62K | +13% | 1,960 |
| New Mexico | $62K | +13% | 500 |
| North Dakota | $61K | +12% | 140 |
| California | $61K | +11% | 6,010 |
| Colorado | $61K | +11% | 740 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | +10% | 1,180 |
| Montana | $61K | +10% | 70 |
| Nevada | $60K | +10% | 390 |
| Illinois | $60K | +9% | 980 |
| Massachusetts | $59K | +8% | 330 |
| Oregon | $59K | +7% | 440 |
| Utah | $58K | +6% | 270 |
| Arizona | $58K | +5% | 590 |
| Hawaii | $57K | +3% | 260 |
| Tennessee | $57K | +3% | 320 |
| Ohio | $56K | +2% | 770 |
| Idaho | $55K | +1% | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $55K | +0% | 380 |
| Alaska | $55K | +0% | 440 |
| Vermont | $55K | +0% | 50 |
| Maryland | $55K | +0% | 580 |
| New Hampshire | $54K | -2% | 80 |
| West Virginia | $53K | -5% | 750 |
| New Jersey | $52K | -5% | 830 |
| Iowa | $52K | -6% | 470 |
| Maine | $52K | -6% | 150 |
| North Carolina | $52K | -6% | 1,100 |
| Michigan | $51K | -7% | 600 |
| Texas | $51K | -8% | 3,350 |
| Missouri | $50K | -9% | 380 |
| Wyoming | $49K | -10% | 150 |
| Virginia | $49K | -10% | 1,450 |
| Indiana | $49K | -11% | 780 |
| Florida | $49K | -11% | 2,090 |
| South Carolina | $49K | -12% | 500 |
| Arkansas | $48K | -12% | 160 |
| Oklahoma | $48K | -13% | 360 |
| Georgia | $48K | -13% | 1,110 |
| Kansas | $48K | -13% | 340 |
| Kentucky | $47K | -15% | 560 |
| Delaware | $46K | -17% | 150 |
| Alabama | $45K | -18% | 410 |
| South Dakota | $44K | -20% | 60 |
| Mississippi | $35K | -36% | 250 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track environmental science and protection technicians, including health salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a environmental science and protection technicians, including health afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $66K, rent takes 96.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for environmental science and protection technicians, including healths in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new environmental science and protection technicians, including healths typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,905/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 145% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is environmental science and protection technicians, including health a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Local pay is 20% above the national median — $66K here vs. $55K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 10% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for environmental science and protection technicians, including healths?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $66K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $60K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do environmental science and protection technicians, including healths make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $66,000 a year, that works out to about $32 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,410, and experienced environmental science and protection technicians, including healths can clear $125,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $66K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,370/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 96.4% 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 science and protection technicians, including health salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (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 science and protection technicians, including health salary is worth about $60,055 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do environmental science and protection technicians, including healths 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.