How To Become An Environmental Planner: What It Is and Career Path

What is an environmental planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Mim Rahimi Ph.D.,

Karl Offen Ph.D.

Environmental planners evaluate the potential environmental impacts of projects. They do this through a combination of research and monitoring. An environmental planner's job is similar to urban and regional planning, except that these professionals are more focused on the environment's sustainability. They create plans and recommend actions that take the environment into account.

As an environmental planner, you also ensure that development projects comply with environmental regulations. If you identify risks in a project, your job is to find ways to counterbalance them, reduce their impact, or suggest alternative actions.

Environmental planners can work for government agencies or private institutions. In states with strict environmental laws, these professionals are invited to construction projects to ensure that regulations are followed.

To become an environmental planner, you need a degree in environmental science, geography, or related fields. You may also need professional certification.

What general advice would you give to an Environmental Planner?

Dr. Mim Rahimi Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Houston

To maximize your salary potential, focus on developing specialized skills that are in high demand but low supply within the field, such as expertise in renewable energy systems or advanced waste treatment technologies. Gaining certifications relevant to these areas can also be beneficial. Furthermore, demonstrating your impact through quantifiable achievements and taking initiative in key projects can position you for promotions and higher salary opportunities.

ScoreEnvironmental PlannerUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $71,174

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.5

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 13.11%

Black or African American 3.68%

Hispanic or Latino 10.45%

Unknown 3.84%

White 68.48%

Gender

female 47.29%

male 52.71%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an environmental planner

Explore environmental planner education requirements

Most common environmental planner degrees

Bachelor's

70.3 %

Master's

23.7 %

Associate

3.7 %

Start to develop specific environmental planner skills

Skills	Percentages
Federal Regulations	20.97%
Water Quality	19.31%
Wetland Delineations	6.51%
FEMA	5.53%
Environmental Assessments	5.14%

Complete relevant environmental planner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New environmental planners learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an environmental planner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real environmental planner resumes.

Research environmental planner duties and responsibilities

Lead multiple asbestos abatement projects.
Manage multiple-site environmental due diligence and asbestos remediation projects.
Prepare community profiles, statistical summaries and maps using ArcGIS.
Work closely with FEMA program managers to ensure comprehensive NEPA compliance for multiple sites.

Get environmental planner experience

Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become an environmental planner. The most common roles before becoming an environmental planner include internship, research assistant team lead and environmental scientist.

Prepare your environmental planner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your environmental planner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an environmental planner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Environmental Planner Resume templates

Build a professional Environmental Planner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Environmental Planner resume.

Apply for environmental planner jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an environmental planner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do environmental planners rate their job?