Environmental Engineer.
Seattle.
$132,000
median salary, 27% above the national average
$102,000 to $166,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates Environmental Engineer pay in Seattle at $132,000, within a range of $102,000 to $166,000. That is 27% above the national average. Seattle is home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a dense cluster of cloud computing, gaming, and AI companies. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Environmental Engineer in Seattle, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $128,410 for Environmental Engineers (SOC 17-2081) in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan area, based on 1,050 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$78,920
25th percentile
$101,700
Median
$128,410
75th percentile
$162,880
90th percentile
$175,610
Workers surveyed
1,050
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Environmental Engineers (SOC 17-2081) rather than Environmental Engineer specifically. The Seattle range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 17-2081Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $119,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$86,000
to $106,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$112,000
to $139,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$145,000
to $172,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$165,000
to $205,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $36,000 to the total package.
Base
$132,000
Equity
$20,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $168,000
How Seattle compares.
Seattle, WA
$132,000
Cost of living: 24% above average
National Average
$104,000
Seattle is $28,000 above
Environmental Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Seattle.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Environmental Engineer roles in Seattle, here is what you are walking into. Seattle is home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a dense cluster of cloud computing, gaming, and AI companies. The presence of major tech headquarters drives some of the highest engineering salaries outside the Bay Area. Seattle's job market is particularly strong for cloud infrastructure, machine learning, and enterprise software roles. PE licensure, specialization in water treatment or air quality, and experience with EPA regulatory compliance drive the biggest salary differences. Engineers working on remediation of contaminated sites or in the oil and gas sector earn premiums for hazardous conditions expertise.
Junior Environmental Engineers earn $70,000 to $80,000. Mid-career engineers with PE licensure reach $88,000 to $105,000. Senior Engineers and Project Managers command $105,000 to $130,000, while Principal Engineers and Directors at consulting firms exceed $145,000. In Seattle, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 24% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. PE-licensed engineers receive immediate salary bumps of 10 to 15%. Annual bonuses of 5 to 12% are typical at consulting firms. Government roles offer pension benefits and strong job security, though base salaries trend 10 to 15% lower than private sector. And on the tax side: washington State has no personal income tax, which significantly boosts take home pay. However, state and local sales taxes are among the highest in the country at roughly 10.25%. When someone quotes you $132,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Remind employers that no state income tax makes your effective compensation higher. You can accept a slightly lower gross salary and still take home more than in California. The range for Environmental Engineers in Seattle runs from $102,000 to $166,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Construction Manager in Seattle earns $133,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Seattle is CTO at $365,000
Common questions.
Environmental Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Seattle.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Environmental Engineer Salary in Seattle, WA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/environmental-engineer/seattle
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