You collect and analyze air quality samples — setting up monitoring equipment, running lab tests, and documenting results. Your data helps organizations understand their environmental impact and meet regulatory requirements.
You're the person collecting air samples and preparing them for analysis. You set up sampling equipment at designated locations, run lab tests (gravimetric analysis, gas chromatography), and record results. You might be outside deploying samplers one day, then in the lab processing samples the next. The work is methodical and follows clear protocols — precision matters because your data drives compliance and health decisions. What's harder than expected: sampling conditions are often challenging — weather, access issues, malfunctioning equipment. You spend real effort problem-solving in the field. What helps you thrive: comfort with detailed documentation, care for accuracy, and ability to work independently but coordinate with engineers and analysts.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Engineering roles →You collect and analyze air quality samples — setting up monitoring equipment, running lab tests, and documenting results. Your data helps organizations understand their environmental impact and meet regulatory requirements.
Median pay for an Air Analysis Technician is about $59K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $40K to $92K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, and Science.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 1.2% through 2034, with roughly 12,500 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Air Analyst, Air Pollution Auditor, and Air Quality Technician (Air Quality Tech).
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