Environmental Engineers pay range in Santa Cruz
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $77,020 a year or less, while the top 10% make $208,760 or more. The middle half of environmental engineers in Santa Cruz earn between $87,770 and $149,150.
- $77K10th
- $88K25th
- $130KMedian
- $149K75th
- $209K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $126,480 | $10,540 | $60.81 |
| Median | $130,270 | $10,856 | $62.63 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $87,770 | $7,314 | $42.20 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $149,150 | $12,429 | $71.71 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Environmental Engineers salary after taxes in Santa Cruz
On the average salary of $126,480, a single filer in Santa Cruz takes home about $90,044 a year, or $7,504 a month and $3,463 every two weeks. Taxes take 29% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Santa Cruz a good place for environmental engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Cruz area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 109.9), so the average $126,480 buys what about $115,091 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Cruz ($54,730). A typical home costs $1,157,157, or 9.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Environmental Engineers salary in other California cities
Santa Cruz ranks 7th of 17 California metro areas for this job; Vallejo pays the most ($140,040).
- Vallejo$140,040
- Santa Rosa$138,740
- San Francisco$135,420
- Redding$134,930
- Sacramento$130,750
- San Jose$130,260
- Santa Cruz$126,480
- Stockton$124,800
- Los Angeles$124,760
- Salinas$122,350
Highest-paying cities for environmental engineers
Baton Rouge, LA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($144,100).
- Baton Rouge, LA$144,100
- Kennewick, WA$140,210
- Vallejo, CA$140,040
- Santa Rosa, CA$138,740
- Beaumont, TX$135,550
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Environmental Engineers salary in Santa Cruz: questions
How much do environmental engineers make an hour in Santa Cruz?
$60.81 an hour on average, and $62.63 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level environmental engineers salary in Santa Cruz?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $77,020 a year and the 25th percentile is $87,770, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the environmental engineers take-home pay in Santa Cruz?
About $90,044 a year ($7,504 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $126,480. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do environmental engineers earn more in Santa Cruz than elsewhere?
The average here is 11% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($114,265).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2081; area Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (42100). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 4.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.31, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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