Ohio’s safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of about $88,000 a year, in a state whose diversified manufacturing and logistics base keeps EHS demand broad rather than concentrated in one industry.
The estimated median for a safety or EHS manager in Ohio is about $88,000 a year, with most roles between $68,640 and $118,800 — scaled from the BLS OES national median of $83,910 for occupational health & safety specialists (SOC 19-5011, May 2024) to Ohio’s wage level. Ohio’s industrial base is genuinely diversified rather than dependent on one sector: automotive-supply-chain manufacturing runs across the state, the Ohio River Valley carries a significant chemical-manufacturing presence, and Columbus’s central location has made it one of the country’s major logistics and distribution hubs, with Rickenbacker’s air-cargo operations adding to that. Akron’s historical rubber and polymer industry still supports EHS roles in that specific niche as well. That breadth means Ohio’s safety-manager job market is less boom-or-bust than states tied to a single commodity, and cost of living across most of the state sits at or modestly below the national median.
Ohio has not adopted its own OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety is enforced directly by federal OSHA rather than a state agency — the same arrangement as most of the industrial Midwest.
Columbus, boosted by its logistics and distribution footprint on top of a broad manufacturing base, Cleveland (still a significant manufacturing and healthcare center), and Cincinnati (consumer goods, chemicals and a major logistics presence of its own) are Ohio’s three biggest markets for EHS talent.
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How much do safety managers make in Ohio?
An estimated median of about $88,000 a year, with a typical range of $68,640 to $118,800 depending on industry, experience, employer size and certification — a BLS-anchored estimate, not a guarantee.
Does Ohio have its own OSHA program?
No. Ohio has not adopted an OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety is enforced directly by federal OSHA.
What industries employ the most safety managers in Ohio?
Automotive-supply-chain manufacturing, chemical production in the Ohio River Valley, and Columbus’s large logistics and distribution-center footprint are the state’s biggest sources of EHS demand.
How can I raise my Ohio safety salary?
Get the BCSP CSP, target chemical manufacturing or automotive-supply-chain employers over general warehousing, and consider multi-site distribution-network roles given Ohio’s logistics density. The free salary estimator can model your own number.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home