Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 45-4021

Fallers

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Fallers, then wages beside peers such as First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Log Graders and Scalers, Forest and Conservation Workers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Fallers: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59K) , Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K) , Log Graders and Scalers ($46K) , Forest and Conservation Workers ($44K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Fallers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 45-4021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls
  2. 2. Appraise trees for certain characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauge amount and direction of lean, to determi…
  3. 3. Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall
  4. 4. Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldo…
  5. 5. Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes
  6. 6. Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct
  7. 7. Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks
  8. 8. Control the direction of a tree's fall by scoring cutting lines with axes, sawing undercuts along scored lines with chainsaws, knocking s…
  9. 9. Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes
  10. 10. Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work
  11. 11. Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly
  12. 12. Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling

Fallers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 45-4021 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.4
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.3
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.3
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.3
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  6. 6. Active Listening 2.9
  7. 7. Equipment Maintenance 2.9
  8. 8. Troubleshooting 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 2.9
  2. 2. Production and Processing 2.7
  3. 3. Administration and Management 2.5
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 2.4
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 2.4
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.2
Occupation safety grade
D
Dangerous
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $52,100/yr
$52K
National median
↓ -7%
Growth 2024-2034
700
Annual openings
3,130
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
Highest-pay peer · $59K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Fallers

1. Maryland $58,300
2. Mississippi $54,110
3. Idaho $78,330
4. California $59,590
5. Arkansas $67,060
6. Washington $77,340
7. Louisiana $62,040
8. Michigan $51,700
9. South Carolina $76,350
10. Oregon $84,490

Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles

  1. 1. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $35,660
  2. 2. Log Graders and Scalers $46,330
  3. 3. First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers $59,320
  4. 4. Forest and Conservation Workers $43,680
  5. 5. Animal Breeders $51,130
  6. 6. Agricultural Workers, All Other $39,850

Fallers carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of D from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $52,100 inside Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations (SOC 45-4021).

Employment Projections expect -7% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Maryland at $58,300. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers at $59,320. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Fallers pay-rank #2 in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

Among 13 detailed Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations with a published OEWS median, Fallers is pay-rank #2, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-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.

Safety grade D carries into what comes next for Fallers: the OEWS state map, the safest/highest-pay peers, and a head-to-head against another SOC.

Fallers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 45-4021

Maryland · top state for Fallers

$58K published median

Mississippi · #2 state pay

$54K · behind Maryland

First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Fallers · $59K

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Lower-pay peer beside Fallers · $36K

Compare Fallers

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

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Fallers full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles sit near Fallers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Fallers is pay-rank #2 of 13 detailed Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Animal Breeders ($51K), Logging Workers, All Other ($51K), Agricultural Inspectors ($50K), First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do fallers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Fallers. Leading ones include: Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls; Appraise trees for certain characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauge amount and direction of lean, to determi…; Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall; Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldo…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for fallers? ▼
For SOC 45-4021, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.4), Critical Thinking (3.3), Monitoring (3.3), Operations Monitoring (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Production and Processing, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Fallers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $52,100 as the national median for Fallers. The published 10th-90th range is $35,180 to $82,360. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59,320), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Fallers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Fallers is -7%. Projected annual openings: about 700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Fallers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Fallers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Fallers? ▼
Maryland ($58,300), Mississippi ($54,110), Idaho ($78,330) 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 Fallers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 45-4021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Fallers. 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