Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Climate Change Policy Analysts

Find Schools Near


Climate Change Policy Analysts: Career Overview

Research and analyze policy developments related to climate change. Make climate-related recommendations for actions such as legislation, awareness campaigns, or fundraising approaches.

The Daily Work of Climate Change Policy Analysts Take On?

The day-to-day responsibilities of climate change policy analysts cover:

  • Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change.
  • Propose new or modified policies involving use of traditional and alternative fuels, transportation of goods, and other factors relating to climate and climate change.
  • Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.
  • Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.
  • Make legislative recommendations related to climate change or environmental management, based on climate change policies, principles, programs, practices, and processes.
  • Present climate-related information at public interest, governmental, or other meetings.
  • Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.
  • Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.

What Climate Change Policy Analysts Need to Know

Top climate change policy analysts draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Reading Comprehension  4.2 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  3.9 / 5
0
5
Speaking  3.9 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  3.8 / 5
0
5

Core Knowledge

Law and Government  4.0 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.8 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.5 / 5
0
5
Communications and Media  2.9 / 5
0
5
Engineering and Technology  2.8 / 5
0
5
Geography  2.8 / 5
0
5

Other Climate Change Policy Analysts Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

  • Clean Energy Policy Analyst
  • Climate Advisor
  • Climate Analyst
  • Climate Change Analyst
  • Climate Change Risk Assessor
  • Climate Change Specialist
  • Climate Economist
  • Climate and Energy Program Associate

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 162,039 climate change policy analysts working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +7.1% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Climate Change Policy Analysts

Salary for Climate Change Policy Analysts

Statistic Value
Annual median $46,198
Hourly median $22.21
10th percentile $31,348
25th percentile $38,773
75th percentile $53,623
90th percentile $61,048

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Climate Change Policy Analysts

Pay by State

State Annual median salary
District of Columbia $122,440
California $97,520
Massachusetts $96,330
Oregon $93,560
Rhode Island $90,460
Illinois $89,010
Washington $88,670
Minnesota $87,210
Alaska $87,060
Colorado $86,720
Maryland $82,100
Georgia $82,030
Utah $81,480
Connecticut $81,370
North Dakota $81,260
Ohio $80,640
Nevada $80,480
New York $80,240
New Jersey $79,920
New Mexico $79,250
New Hampshire $79,230
Arizona $78,870
Texas $78,560
Montana $78,510
Virginia $78,140
West Virginia $77,980
Indiana $77,380
Tennessee $76,900
Michigan $76,670
Arkansas $75,620
Hawaii $75,050
Alabama $74,660
Wyoming $74,060
Iowa $74,060
Kansas $73,300
Pennsylvania $73,040
South Dakota $71,510
Vermont $69,330
Kentucky $68,990
Wisconsin $68,980
Oklahoma $67,530
Louisiana $67,260
Missouri $67,190
Idaho $66,710
South Carolina $65,960
North Carolina $65,800
Delaware $62,780
Guam $62,170
Nebraska $61,260
Maine $60,880
Florida $59,510
Virgin Islands $56,400
Mississippi $55,110
Puerto Rico $47,250

Where Climate Change Policy Analysts Earn the Most

Earnings for climate change policy analysts differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $93,938 24.2% 1.59
New England $87,163 6.2% 1.41
Middle Atlantic $83,442 14.8% 1.29
Rocky Mountains $81,100 5.9% 1.58
Great Lakes $78,970 10.1% 0.80
Southwest $78,042 8.5% 0.92
Plains States $77,498 5.5% 0.91
Southeast $68,239 24.1% 1.11

Top Metro Areas

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $110,240 1,630
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV DC $109,520 2,780
Kennewick-Richland, WA WA $108,310 330
Monroe, MI MI $107,990 60
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CA $102,420 3,390
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CA $101,540 2,530
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $99,750 450
Worcester, MA MA $99,280 210

Top Industries Employing Climate Change Policy Analysts

The largest employers of climate change policy analysts are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 32,170 $77,920
Educational Services 2,640 $82,360
Other Services (except Public Administration) 2,610 $74,910
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,910 $101,330
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 1,690 $74,670
Manufacturing 1,220 $107,990
Utilities 1,160 $108,480
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 690 $73,180
Climate Change Policy Analysts sectors

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Climate Change Policy Analysts industries

Tools and Technology

  • Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
  • Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
  • Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: Perl (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: Python (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: R (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: The MathWorks MATLAB (hot technology)

Work Environment

The work environment for climate change policy analysts is shaped by the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

How to Become Climate Change Policy Analysts

Entry-level climate change policy analysts positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Students preparing for climate change policy analysts commonly pursue programs in:

1 programs across 1 majors

Sources

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 19-2041.01 (Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health).

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school-matching tool matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S