# Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary

US SOC code 25-1053. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-1053

Also called: Environmental science professor, Environmental sciences professor, Env sci postsec instructor, Environmental studies professor, Environmental science faculty.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **6,690** US postsecondary environmental science teachers, with median pay of **$94,980** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **7,130**, in May 2024. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rise-environmental-science) of **1,800** from 1975, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for postsecondary environmental science teachers: Cloud GIS + real-time sensor networks, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1053&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **42.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1970
- Latest US employment: 6,690 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $94,980 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +2.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975 | 1,800 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Encyclopedia.com [1] |
| 1980 | n/a | $20,400 (estimate) | Est., AAUP [6] |
| 1985 | 3,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES [2] |
| 1993 | 5,000 (estimate) | $42,000 (estimate) | Est., NCES (employment) [3]; Est., NCES (pay) [7] |
| 2000 | 6,200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., O\*NET 25-1053.00 [4] |
| 2003 | 3,620 | $57,830 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 3,860 | $62,330 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 4,340 | $60,880 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 4,310 | $64,780 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 4,470 | $64,850 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 4,870 | $65,130 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 4,820 | $65,540 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 5,090 | $71,020 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 4,990 | $75,050 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 4,990 | $77,320 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 5,130 | $78,490 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 5,300 | $77,470 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 5,540 | $78,770 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 5,520 | $78,340 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 5,990 | $76,360 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 6,040 | $79,910 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 6,060 | $82,430 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 5,860 | $84,740 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 5,440 | $81,980 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 6,240 | $83,040 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 7,120 | $88,410 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 7,130 | $87,710 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 6,690 | $94,980 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (86)

### Employment series

1. [Encyclopedia.com — "The Rise of Environmental Science": growth of university environmental programs post-NEPA and Earth Day 1970](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rise-environmental-science), Encyclopedia.com
2. [NCES — NSOPF:88 (National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, 1988); IPEDS Human Resources component (postsecondary faculty by field, 1985)](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/), National Center for Education Statistics
3. [NCES — NSOPF:93 (National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, 1993) and IPEDS Human Resources (1993); secondary reference: "Fall Staff in Postsecondary Institutions, 1993"](https://nces.ed.gov/pubs96/web/96323in.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
4. [O\*NET 25-1053.00 — Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary (occupation summary and context for emergence of the classification)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1053.00), O\*NET / BLS
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [AAUP — Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2000-01 (includes longitudinal faculty salary data with back-series context for 1980 assistant professor salaries)](https://www.aaup.org/reports-publications/2000-01salarysurvey), American Association of University Professors
7. [NCES — NSOPF:93 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (faculty salaries by discipline and institution type, 1993)](https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/handbook/nsopf.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2014, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [Encyclopedia.com — "The Rise of Environmental Science": early analytical methods and equipment in the field (pre-digital era)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rise-environmental-science), Encyclopedia.com
12. [Wikipedia — ArcGIS (history: ESRI Arc/INFO 1982, ArcView 1991)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArcGIS), Wikipedia
13. [EPA — WASP (Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program) historical documentation](https://www.epa.gov/hydrowq/water-quality-analysis-simulation-program-wasp), US Environmental Protection Agency
14. [USGS Landsat Program — history of free Landsat data access (2008 archive opening)](https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-data-access), US Geological Survey
15. [NASA — MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) mission overview](https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/), NASA
16. [Google Earth Engine — cloud geospatial analysis platform: free for research and education; petabyte-scale satellite archive; 190+ country usage (2025)](https://earthengine.google.com/), Google
17. [USGS — National Water Information System (NWIS) real-time streamflow and water quality data API](https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis), US Geological Survey
18. [Microsoft Research — ClimaX: A Foundation Model for Weather and Climate (arXiv:2301.10343, ICML 2023)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.10343), Microsoft Research
19. [Google DeepMind — NeuralGCM: neural-GCM hybrid for weather and climate projection (Nature, 2024)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07744-y?error=cookies_not_supported&code=30a43043-cb76-4d7a-a85f-e23178c6d092), Google DeepMind / Nature
20. [Federal Reserve FEDS Notes — Educational Exposure to Generative AI (Feb 2026): Life, Physical, and Social Science Teachers in above-average AI-exposure band](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/educational-exposure-to-generative-artificial-intelligence-20250226.html), Federal Reserve Board

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-1053 Environmental science teachers, postsecondary (2025: 8.4 thousand; 2035: 8.7 thousand; +2.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1053&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-1053.00, human-rated β 0.424)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [Wikipedia — Silent Spring (Rachel Carson, 1962): publication date, impact on public awareness and environmental legislation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring), Wikipedia
24. [PBS American Masters — "A Fierce Green Fire: Timeline of Environmental Movement and History" (Earth Day 1970)](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/a-fierce-green-fire-timeline-of-environmental-movement/2988/), PBS / American Masters
25. [Dynamic Ecology blog — "When, and why, the ecology faculty job market first got so competitive" (March 2019): quantitative analysis of 130 tenure-track ecology faculty hired 1953-2016](https://dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/when-and-why-the-ecology-faculty-job-market-first-got-so-competitive/), Dynamic Ecology
26. [NBC News — "Earth Day at 50: Why the legacy of the 1970s environmental movement is in jeopardy": historical account of environmental movement phases including post-Rio expansion](https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/earth-day-50-why-legacy-1970s-environmental-movement-jeopardy-n1189506), NBC News
27. [StateUniversity.com — Academic Labor Markets: "The number of faculty positions available has essentially remained stagnant since 2003 when NIH received their last major budget increase"](https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1725/Academic-Labor-Markets.html), StateUniversity.com
28. [O\*NET 25-1053.00 — Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary: "write grant proposals to procure external research funding" (task); NSF AI disclosure policy context](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1053.00), O\*NET / BLS / NSF

### Predecessors & successors

29. [Encyclopedia.com — "The Rise of Environmental Science": first environmental programs staffed by ecologists and chemists from adjacent fields](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rise-environmental-science), Encyclopedia.com
30. [O\*NET 25-1053.00 — Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary (occupation context: many faculty entered from applied environmental practice at EPA, state agencies, or consulting firms)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1053.00), O\*NET / BLS
31. [BLS OOH — Education Administrators, Postsecondary: +7% projected growth 2024-2034; common path for senior environmental science faculty](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/postsecondary-education-administrators.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1053.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1053.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Postsecondary Teachers (2024–2034, +7% projected growth, much faster than average)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Federal Reserve FEDS Notes — Educational Exposure to Generative AI (Feb 2026): Life, Physical, and Social Science Teachers in above-average AI-exposure band for postsecondary education](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/educational-exposure-to-generative-artificial-intelligence-20250226.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Google Earth Engine — cloud geospatial analysis platform with ML classifiers for land cover, water quality, air quality, and deforestation monitoring; free for research and education; 190+ country usage (2025)](https://earthengine.google.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Microsoft Research — ClimaX: A Foundation Model for Weather and Climate (arXiv:2301.10343, ICML 2023): pre-trained on CMIP6 multi-model ensemble; fine-tuneable for regional climate projections; open-source](https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.10343), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Google DeepMind — NeuralGCM: neural-GCM hybrid climate model published in Nature (2024); accurate 15-day weather + multidecadal climate projections; open weights for research use](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07744-y?error=cookies_not_supported&code=30a43043-cb76-4d7a-a85f-e23178c6d092), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Microsoft Research — Aurora: A Foundation Model of the Atmosphere (arXiv:2405.13063, May 2024); fine-tuneable for air quality (PM2.5/ozone), weather extremes, ocean waves; relevant to teaching AI-derived environmental monitoring outputs](https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.13063), accessed 2026-05-24
- [QIIME 2 — microbiome and environmental DNA bioinformatics platform with ML plugins (q2-sample-classifier, DADA2); open-source; deployed at hundreds of universities for environmental microbiology and eDNA coursework (2024 update)](https://qiime2.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [iNaturalist — citizen science biodiversity platform: AI-powered species identification from photos; 100M+ research-grade observations; used in environmental science courses for real-world biodiversity monitoring exercises (2025)](https://www.inaturalist.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [OpenAI — ChatGPT Edu: CSU system-wide deployment (460k+ users across 23 campuses, Feb 2025); documented use in STEM course material drafting and policy analysis frameworks](https://campustechnology.com/articles/2025/02/05/california-state-university-launches-systemwide-chatgpt-edu-deployment.aspx), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gradescope — AI-assisted grading: 30–50% grading time reduction; AI-assisted answer grouping for written lab reports and environmental impact assessments; 3,000+ institutions (2025)](https://www.gradescope.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Elicit — AI research synthesis: 138M+ academic papers; up to 80% literature-review time reduction; applicable to EPA, IPCC, and environmental science journals (2025)](https://elicit.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.