Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of occupational health and safety specialists to grow 18.5% from 2025 to 2035 (about 26,400 more jobs), with about 17,100 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $90,150 a year ranks 182nd of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +18.5%
- Openings a year
- 17,100
- Median pay
- $90,150
- Pay rank
- 182nd of 825
Is employment of occupational health and safety specialists growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of occupational health and safety specialists to rise 18.5% (about 26,400 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +7.6% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 48 life, physical, and social science occupations with a projection. That change ranks 16th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 143,100 |
| Employment, 2035 | 169,600 |
| Projected change | +18.5% |
| Openings a year | 17,100 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 143,100 jobs here differ from the 140,610 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 17,100 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 179th most of 830 occupations. About 85% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 2,640 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for occupational health and safety specialists rank?
The median of $90,150 a year ranks 182nd of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | +19.4% | 3,800 | $61,560 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | +6.9% | 5,300 | $55,090 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | +6.1% | 7,300 | $82,220 |
| Nuclear Technicians | +1.1% | 900 | $110,240 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | +5.4% | 1,200 | $115,160 |
| Compliance Officers | +3.8% | 32,700 | $80,730 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | 0% | 14,800 | $74,690 |
| Environmental Engineers | +6.3% | 2,300 | $107,110 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.