What Does an Industrial Hygienist Do?
The illnesses this job prevents often take years to appear. Industrial hygienists work in factories, hospitals, labs and on building sites, measuring the solvent vapor, silica dust, welding fume, noise and heat people face each shift and designing practical controls that bring those exposures down.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Chemical Hygiene Officer, EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer), Health and Safety Analyst, Industrial Hygiene Consultant, Industrial Hygienist Consultant, OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant), Risk Control Consultant, Safety Consultant.
Industrial Hygienist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an industrial hygienist include:
- Sample the air in workers' breathing zones for dusts, solvents and metals, and send media to accredited labs.
- Measure noise, heat stress and ventilation airflow with calibrated meters and note the working conditions.
- Compare results with OSHA limits and ACGIH guidance, then explain what they mean to managers.
- Recommend engineering controls such as local exhaust hoods, enclosures or safer substitute chemicals.
- Run the respirator program, including fit tests, medical clearance paperwork and cartridge change schedules.
- Investigate odor, mold and indoor air complaints from office and classroom occupants.
- Survey buildings for asbestos and lead before renovation and plan abatement with contractors.
- Write exposure assessments and keep sampling records for as long as the law requires.
- Coach employees on hazard communication, safety data sheets and the right protective equipment for each task.
- Review plans for new processes and equipment to catch exposure problems before they start.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an industrial hygienist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential or eligibility
- Air, noise and heat stress sampling methods
- Direct-reading instruments such as photoionization detectors and particle counters
- OSHA standards and ACGIH exposure limits
- Ventilation and exposure control basics
- Chemistry, toxicology and statistics
- Reports that managers can act on
- Tact with workers who are worried about their health
Education and Training
Most industrial hygienists enter with a bachelor's degree in industrial hygiene, chemistry, biology or engineering, but some start out by taking safety technician jobs and studying part time. Many employers want hygienists board certified. The CIH exam asks for a science degree plus years of professional practice, so most hygienists sit it a few years into their careers.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $69,560 - $111,690 per year, with a median of $90,150.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Occupational Health and Safety Specialists.
BLS projects employment of occupational health and safety specialists, the group that includes industrial hygienists, to grow about 18 percent from 2025 to 2035. The group should see about 17,100 openings a year. For a new graduate, progression is often steady and chances to move into consulting or EHS management tend to open up once the CIH is in hand.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Occupational health and safety specialists.
Industrial Hygienist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $55,000 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $69,560 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $90,150 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $111,690 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $134,950 |
Highest-Paying States for Industrial Hygienists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($111,530), Massachusetts ($103,970), Washington ($102,920), California ($102,840), Rhode Island ($101,740). Pay is lowest in Oklahoma ($79,890), Texas ($79,660), Arkansas ($73,130).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $82,260 |
| Alaska | $99,270 |
| Arizona | $89,480 |
| Arkansas | $73,130 |
| California | $102,840 |
| Colorado | $101,400 |
| Connecticut | $96,110 |
| Delaware | $81,120 |
| District of Columbia | $111,530 |
| Florida | $88,820 |
| Georgia | $85,450 |
| Hawaii | $94,840 |
| Idaho | $86,920 |
| Illinois | $98,270 |
| Indiana | $83,470 |
| Iowa | $87,830 |
| Kansas | $86,300 |
| Kentucky | $83,730 |
| Louisiana | $89,560 |
| Maine | $97,640 |
| Maryland | $91,820 |
| Massachusetts | $103,970 |
| Michigan | $84,080 |
| Minnesota | $96,990 |
| Mississippi | $84,490 |
| Missouri | $83,090 |
| Montana | $81,330 |
| Nebraska | $83,990 |
| Nevada | $94,360 |
| New Hampshire | $101,260 |
| New Jersey | $90,610 |
| New Mexico | $84,510 |
| New York | $95,720 |
| North Carolina | $86,650 |
| North Dakota | $93,250 |
| Ohio | $91,460 |
| Oklahoma | $79,890 |
| Oregon | $95,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $87,050 |
| Rhode Island | $101,740 |
| South Carolina | $88,080 |
| South Dakota | $88,610 |
| Tennessee | $81,190 |
| Texas | $79,660 |
| Utah | $90,200 |
| Vermont | $87,210 |
| Virginia | $90,800 |
| Washington | $102,920 |
| West Virginia | $86,560 |
| Wisconsin | $84,750 |
| Wyoming | $94,030 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as occupational health and safety specialists about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 96% use email every day
- 83% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 78% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 74% are on the phone every day
- 57% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 48% usually work more than 40 hours a week
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 74% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 9% |
| Master's degree | 9% |
Tools and Software Industrial Hygienists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy analyzing problems and working with ideas as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Chemistry, Education and Training, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for an Industrial Hygienist Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.