Entry-level Environmental Engineer salary in Houston, TX

Based on 18 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Spring, Willis, The Woodlands, Baytown, Deer Park.

Median salary$69,000
Middle 50%$60.6k–$82.7k
vs. all levels here−42%comparison median $118,264
Filings18FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $59,301 and $92,994.
PercentileSalary
10th$59,790
25th$60,605
50th (median)$69,000
75th$82,722
90th$82,865

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $70k $80k FY2020: median $67,080 (14 filings) FY2021: median $72,000 (14 filings) FY2025: median $68,000 (13 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 14 filings FY20 FY2021: 14 filings FY21 FY2022: 4 filings FY22 FY2023: 2 filings FY23 FY2024: 7 filings FY24 FY2025: 13 filings FY25 FY2026: 5 filings FY26 14
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$67,080$67,080$73,26314
FY2021$72,000$70,200$72,23814
FY2022–––4
FY2023–––2
FY2024–––7
FY2025$68,000$60,000$82,72213
FY2026–––5

Cost of living

Houston's median entry-level Environmental Engineer salary of $69,000 is worth about $70,000 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Houston = 98.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Environmental Engineers in the Houston, TX area earned a median of $127,340 in May 2025 (690 employed). The H-1B median here is $69,000, 46% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
W.m. Rice Universitytoo few7
NCS Engineerstoo few2
University of Houstontoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $69,000 18
Mid-level · Level II $118,379 12
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$59,301$69,00018
Mid-level · Level II$99,736$118,37912

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.