Salary data is based on the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan area and applied to Pawtucket using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Environmental Engineers Salaries in Pawtucket, RI

Average Base Pay

$105,552/yr

2% above national average

Monthly

$8,796

Hourly

$51

Cost Index

Environmental Engineers in Pawtucket, RI earn an average of $105,552 per year, with most salaries falling between $84,442 and $126,662 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 2% above the national average, Pawtucket ranks among the higher-paying markets for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 98. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for Pawtucket.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$79K
Low

$106K
Median

$132K
High

25th percentile: $90K75th percentile: $121K

About Environmental Engineers

Environmental Engineers develop solutions to environmental problems including air and water pollution, contaminated site remediation, waste management, and sustainability. They apply engineering principles alongside biology, chemistry, and ecology to design systems that protect human health and the natural environment. In water and wastewater engineering, they design treatment plants, distribution systems, and stormwater management infrastructure. In air quality, they design emission control systems for industrial facilities and model pollutant dispersion. In contaminated site remediation, they assess the extent of soil and groundwater contamination, design cleanup systems, and oversee remediation contractors. Environmental engineers must navigate complex regulatory frameworks—Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, CERCLA—and often interact with federal and state environmental agencies. They prepare environmental impact assessments for development projects, conduct environmental compliance audits for industrial operations, and develop environmental management systems. Increasing focus on climate change has expanded the role into greenhouse gas accounting, carbon management, and resilience planning.

What Environmental Engineers Do

Design water and wastewater treatment systems
Develop remediation plans for contaminated soil and groundwater
Prepare air emissions inventories and design control systems
Conduct environmental compliance audits for industrial facilities
Prepare environmental impact assessments and permit applications
Interact with regulatory agencies on permitting and enforcement matters
Perform environmental site assessments (Phase I and II ESAs)
Develop stormwater management plans and pollution prevention programs

Key Skills & Qualifications

Knowledge of environmental regulations (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA)
Environmental modeling for air, water, and groundwater systems
Site assessment and remediation design
Environmental permitting and regulatory agency interaction
GIS for environmental data mapping
Water and wastewater treatment process design
Technical report writing for regulatory submissions
PE licensure and CHMM or other environmental certifications

Career Path

Environmental Scientist / Environmental Engineer EIT
Environmental Engineer
Senior Environmental Engineer
Principal Environmental Engineer
Director of Environmental Services

Environmental Engineers Market in Pawtucket, RI

Salary Competitiveness

Pawtucket salaries for Environmental Engineers track closely with the national median, diverging by less than 4%. This alignment suggests a competitive but balanced local market—employers are broadly in step with national pay scales, which can make benchmark comparisons more reliable when negotiating.

Cost of Living Impact

Pawtucket sits close to the national cost average. Monthly essential expenses represent about 40% of take-home pay for this role—a midrange ratio that allows for modest savings and discretionary spending, provided housing costs remain stable.

Effective Purchasing Power

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Environmental Engineers earning $105,552 in Pawtucket reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

+2%

Cost Pressure

40%

Purchasing Power

Strong

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

Annual Salary

Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$77,053

Monthly

$6,421

Weekly

$1,482

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $105,552 for a Environmental Engineers in Pawtucket translates to roughly $6,421 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,539—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $3,882 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in Pawtucket's current market.

How far does this salary go in Pawtucket?

Cost of Living in Pawtucket

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in Pawtucket, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

Below Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,460/mo

🍔Food & Groceries$487/mo

🚗Transportation$132/mo

💡Utilities$171/mo

🏥Healthcare$289/mo

Monthly$2,539

Annual$30,468

Disposable Income$3,882

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in Pawtucket to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$6,421

Living Costs

$2,539

Disposable

$3,882

Cost Index

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $6,421, your estimated living costs in Pawtucket are $2,539 ($30,468/yr). This leaves $3,882 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. Pawtucket's cost of living is 2% below the national average.

Overall, a Environmental Engineers earning $105,552 in Pawtucket falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. With a cost index of 98, Pawtucket is 2% more affordable than the national average, which extends your purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in Pawtucket continue to evolve.