Environmental Scientist Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East.
Median salary — South East
£47,737
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 31.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£49,525
What a typical environmental scientist takes home
On the median of £47,737, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£3,158
Take-home a year
£37,890
Income Tax
£7,033
National Insurance
£2,813
What most environmental scientists actually earn
Half of environmental scientists across the UK earn between £32,432 and £50,359. Earning above £50,359 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of environmental scientists earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Environment professionals
- SOC 2020 code
- 2152
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 14.6% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank South East against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
ONS doesn't measure “environmental scientist” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Environment professionals”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures environment professionals.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Environmental Scientist salary FAQs
What is the average Environmental Scientist salary in South East?
The median is £47,737 a year and the mean is £49,525, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a environmental scientist earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £22.22 excluding overtime, or £22.42 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South East.
What is a good Environmental Scientist salary?
Half of environmental scientists earn between £32,432 and £50,359. Anything above £50,359 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a environmental scientist?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of environmental scientists earn under £26,051 and the lowest quarter under £32,432 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do environmental scientists in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £47,737 against £41,555 across the UK, 14.9% higher. ONS marks the South East figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has environmental scientist pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +31.3% for this occupation in South East. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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