Environmental health professionals: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time environmental health professionals in the UK earned a median £41,725 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £2,686 above the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That ranks 119th of 382 occupations on this measure.
Median full-time pay: women £40,470 a year, men £42,778 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 11,000 employee jobs, 91% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 9.3%, from £38,179, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 14,900 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | – | £623.40 | £16.15 | – | £599.60 | £16.23 |
| 25th percentile | – | £684.50 | £17.50 | – | £621.40 | £17.91 |
| 30th percentile | – | £701.30 | £18.72 | £35,391* | £676.40 | £18.90 |
| 40th percentile | £39,109* | £750.20 | £20.39* | £37,370* | £722.80 | £20.97 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £41,725* | £808.00 | £22.25 | £40,044* | £775.70 | £22.94 |
| 60th percentile | £44,767* | £844.80 | £24.99 | £43,288* | £837.30 | £25.03 |
| 70th percentile | – | £909.30* | £25.30* | – | £877.70 | £25.64 |
| Mean | £43,340 | £831.00 | £22.63 | £41,848 | £802.30 | £22.71 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £38,179 | £745.30 | £20.95 | £37,553 | £722.70 | 14* |
| 2022 revised | £38,323 | £733.00 | £20.98 | £37,215 | £695.70 | 13* |
| 2023 revised | £39,926 | £768.80 | £21.58 | £37,496 | £720.50 | 15* |
| 2024 revised | £40,895 | £801.40 | £22.69 | – | £770.80 | 13* |
| 2025 provisional | £41,725* | £808.00 | £22.25 | £40,044* | £775.70 | 11* |
Environmental health professionals by region
UK: 14,900 (± 4,700), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What environmental health professionals do
Environmental health professionals use specialist technical skills and knowledge to protect people from health risks associated with the environment in which they live and work. They maintain and safeguard standards, including taking legal action to enforce relevant legislation with regard to public health policy. (ONS SOC 2020, 2483)
Also covers: air pollution inspector, environmental health officer, food inspector, public health inspector, technical officer (environmental health), sanitary officer, shops inspector, smoke inspector, environmental health inspector, environmental health manager, food safety officer, port health inspector, port health officer, public health officer and smoke control officer.
- Inspects businesses for compliance with legislation on health and safety, food hygiene and food standards and takes appropriate action in the event of non-compliance
- Follows up complaints of unsafe workplaces, investigating accidents
- Investigates outbreaks of food poisoning, infectious diseases or pests
- Monitors radiation activity, levels of noise, air, land and water pollution and takes appropriate action when safety levels are exceeded
- Ensures animal welfare for compliance with legislation, issues licences for premises such as pet shops, zoos and abattoirs
- Gives talks at public enquiries and meetings, ensures compliance through education, advice and enforcement
Entrants normally require a degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) or the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS). To gain chartered status an additional period of work experience is required or successful completion of the CIEH's chartered practitioner programme.
Related
Quality and regulatory professionals (median £47,634) · Quality assurance and regulatory professionals · Quality control and planning engineers · salary percentile · UK real pay growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026