Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 19-1031

Conservation Scientists

Median pay sits 38% below the mid peer in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (neighbors include Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other, Physicists, Sociologists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Conservation Scientists: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($194K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) , Physicists ($172K) , Sociologists ($106K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Conservation Scientists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation obje…
  2. 2. Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing…
  3. 3. Monitor projects during or after construction to ensure projects conform to design specifications
  4. 4. Advise land users, such as farmers or ranchers, on plans, problems, or alternative conservation solutions
  5. 5. Implement soil or water management techniques, such as nutrient management, erosion control, buffers, or filter strips, in accordance wit…
  6. 6. Compute design specifications for implementation of conservation practices, using survey or field information, technical guides or engine…
  7. 7. Gather information from geographic information systems (GIS) databases or applications to formulate land use recommendations
  8. 8. Participate on work teams to plan, develop, or implement programs or policies for improving environmental habitats, wetlands, or groundwa…
  9. 9. Compute cost estimates of different conservation practices, based on needs of land users, maintenance requirements, or life expectancy of…
  10. 10. Develop or maintain working relationships with local government staff or board members
  11. 11. Revisit land users to view implemented land use practices or plans
  12. 12. Visit areas affected by erosion problems to identify causes or determine solutions

Conservation Scientists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1031 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.9 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.9
  3. 3. Speaking 3.6
  4. 4. Complex Problem Solving 3.6
  5. 5. Writing 3.5
  6. 6. Science 3.5
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.5
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.3
  2. 2. Biology 3.9
  3. 3. Mathematics 3.7
  4. 4. Geography 3.7
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.6
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.5
Pay vs Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers
-38%
vs mid peer median $117,790
This role $73,010/yr
$73K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
2,500
Annual openings
25,950
Estimated US jobs
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Highest-pay peer · $194K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Conservation Scientists

1. Wyoming $81,310
2. California $79,810
3. Wisconsin $79,540
4. Louisiana $80,190
5. Oregon $80,790
6. Maryland $83,290
7. District of Columbia $99,400
8. Colorado $84,820
9. Idaho $81,330
10. Alaska $79,260

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physicists $172,250
  2. 2. Sociologists $106,030
  3. 3. Materials Scientists $117,790
  4. 4. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
  5. 5. Geographers $102,040
  6. 6. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110

Among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers on this card, Conservation Scientists sits 38% below the mid peer median ($117,790). Its own median is $73,010.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Wyoming at $81,310. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists at $193,950. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Conservation Scientists pay-rank #33 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

On the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table (48 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Conservation Scientists lands at #33, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Conservation Scientists pays 38% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Conservation Scientists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1031

Wyoming · top state for Conservation Scientists

$81K published median

California · #2 state pay

$80K · behind Wyoming

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Highest-pay peer vs Conservation Scientists · $194K

Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Conservation Scientists · $101K

Compare Conservation Scientists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Conservation Scientists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Conservation Scientists

Against another occupation

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Conservation Scientists land on the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table? ▼
Conservation Scientists is pay-rank #33 of 48 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Forensic Science Technicians ($72K), Anthropologists and Archeologists ($71K), Survey Researchers ($69K), Animal Scientists ($69K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do conservation scientists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Conservation Scientists. Leading ones include: Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation obje…; Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing…; Monitor projects during or after construction to ensure projects conform to design specifications; Advise land users, such as farmers or ranchers, on plans, problems, or alternative conservation solutions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for conservation scientists? ▼
For SOC 19-1031, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.6), Complex Problem Solving (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Biology, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Conservation Scientists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $73,010 as the national median for Conservation Scientists. The published 10th-90th range is $47,550 to $110,410. Beside Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($193,950), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Conservation Scientists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Conservation Scientists is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 2,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Conservation Scientists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Conservation Scientists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Conservation Scientists? ▼
Wyoming ($81,310), California ($79,810), Wisconsin ($79,540) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Conservation Scientists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Conservation Scientists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics