How much do hazardous materials removal workers make in Ohio in 2026?

Hazardous materials removal workers in Ohio earn a median of $46,620 per year, which works out to roughly $22.41 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits right in the middle of the range — half of workers in this trade earn less, half earn more.

The bottom quarter of earners — the 25th percentile — lands at $44,220 annually, or about $21.26 per hour. That's typically where you'll find workers who are newer to the trade, working for smaller contractors, or in areas with less hazmat activity. The top quarter — the 75th percentile — reaches $58,800 per year, or approximately $28.27 per hour. Workers at that level have usually built up years of field experience, hold multiple certifications, and tend to work on larger commercial, industrial, or government remediation projects.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is $14,580 per year. That gap is meaningful — it tells you there's real room to grow your pay within this trade, and the path there is mostly about credentials, experience, and the type of work you pursue.

Hazmat removal in Ohio covers a wide range of work: asbestos abatement in older commercial buildings and schools, lead paint removal, mold remediation, underground storage tank cleanup, and industrial waste handling. Ohio has a substantial stock of older industrial infrastructure — manufacturing facilities, older school buildings, and legacy contaminated sites — which keeps demand for this trade relatively steady. Workers who can handle multiple material types, not just one, tend to command higher rates.

Certification matters more in this trade than in many others. Ohio requires workers handling asbestos to be licensed through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Lead abatement work has its own EPA RRP (Renovation, Repair, and Painting) certification requirements. Workers who hold current certifications in both asbestos and lead — plus any additional hazmat endorsements — are in a stronger position when negotiating pay or bidding for work with larger abatement contractors.

Overtime is common in hazmat removal, particularly when a project is on a regulatory deadline or when a contamination event requires rapid response. If your employer pays time-and-a-half for hours over 40, a steady stream of overtime weeks can push your real annual earnings noticeably above the base figures listed here. A worker earning at the median rate of $22.41/hr who clocks 10 hours of overtime per week for 20 weeks adds roughly $6,700 in gross pay — which would push that worker well into the 75th-percentile range for the year.

Geography within Ohio also plays a role. The Columbus metro, Cleveland, and Cincinnati tend to have higher concentrations of commercial and industrial abatement work, which can support higher wages. Rural areas and smaller cities may have less consistent project volume, and hourly rates can track lower as a result.

Some hazmat removal workers in Ohio are covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The BLS figures here come from the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That survey captures base wages paid by employers but does not include benefits like employer-paid health insurance, retirement contributions, or per diem payments. For workers on out-of-town projects where per diem is in play, total compensation can run meaningfully higher than the wage numbers suggest.

If you're trying to move from the median toward the 75th percentile, the most direct levers are: add a certification you don't currently hold, seek out industrial or government contract work (which tends to pay more than residential jobs), and look at employers who consistently bid large-scale remediation projects rather than smaller one-off jobs. Experience working with confined spaces or emergency spill response can also open doors to higher-paying specialty roles within the broader hazmat field.