Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health Salary
In Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA, environmental science and protection technicians, including healths earn $74,170 at the median, or about $35.66 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $121K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 107.78), so that salary is closer to $68,816 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,827/month, about 58.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $74K actually covers in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Rosa-Petaluma’s Regional Price Parity (107.78). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Santa Rosa-Petaluma
Santa Rosa-Petaluma sits well above the national pay line for environmental science and protection technicians, including health, local pay runs about 35% 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 $2,827/month, which is 59% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 8% above the national average (BEA RPP 107.78), 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 Rosa-Petaluma, 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 Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Entry-level environmental science and protection technicians, including healths (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $74K. Top earners bring in $121K or more, a $73K 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 |
| Maryland | $55K | +0% | 580 |
| Vermont | $55K | +0% | 50 |
| 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 with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track environmental science and protection technicians, including health salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Santa Rosa-Petaluma numbers change.
Related careers in Science
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a environmental science and protection technicians, including health afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 59% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,827/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/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 Rosa-Petaluma?
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 $3,306/month. At HUD’s $2,827/month FMR, rent would take 86% 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 Rosa-Petaluma?
Local pay is 35% above the national median — $74K here vs. $55K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 8% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Santa Rosa-Petaluma compare to the national average for environmental science and protection technicians, including healths?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +35%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 107.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $69K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do environmental science and protection technicians, including healths make in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA?
The median is $74,170 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,320, and experienced environmental science and protection technicians, including healths can clear $121,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $74K enough to live in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,794/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,827/month, which eats 59% 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 Rosa-Petaluma?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma has a Regional Price Parity of 107.78 (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 $68,816 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.