Key points
Explore findings uncovered by our landmark assessment. Understanding the Needs, Challenges, Opportunities, Vision, and Emerging Roles in Environmental Health (UNCOVER EH) surveyed more than 1,700 environmental health professionals.
Food safety is the most common area where these professionals work
Many work in more than one area
- Food safety and protection - 76%
- Public swimming pools - 57%
- Emergency preparedness and response - 47%
- Schools - 46%
- Onsite wastewater (septic systems) - 44%
- Private or onsite drinking water - 43%
- Hotels/motels - 39%
- Vector control - 38%
- Body art (tattoo) - 36%
- Daycare/early child development facilities - 34%
Resource
EH workforce has opportunities to become more racially and ethnically diverse
More than 8 in 10 EH professionals are white.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander - 1%
- American Indian - 3%
- Asian - 4%
- Black or African American - 7%
- White - 85%
6% of the EH workforce is Hispanic.
Women make up about half of the EH workforce.
- Women - 49%
- Men - 51%
The EH workforce is aging, presenting recruitment needs
1 in 4 EH professionals is over 55 years of age.
1 in 4 EH professionals plans to retire within 5 years.
The EH workforce is well educated
Despite the high levels of education of the workforce, professionals' degrees are not always in EH.
- Doctoral - 3%
- Master's - 30%
- Bachelor's - 62%
- Associate - 2%
- None - 3%
Only 1 in 5 bachelor's degrees is in EH.
2 in 5 EH bachelor's degrees are from academic programs accredited by the National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council, considered the gold standard.