Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 19-1032

Foresters

Median pay sits 35% below the mid peer in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (neighbors include Political Scientists, Geographers, Physical Scientists, All Other, Economists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Foresters: Political Scientists ($142K) , Geographers ($102K) , Physical Scientists, All Other ($123K) , Economists ($125K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Foresters publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1032 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations
  2. 2. Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands
  3. 3. Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality
  4. 4. Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources
  5. 5. Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals
  6. 6. Procure timber from private landowners
  7. 7. Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage
  8. 8. Subcontract with loggers or pulpwood cutters for tree removal and to aid in road layout
  9. 9. Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries
  10. 10. Map forest area soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth
  11. 11. Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use
  12. 12. Develop techniques for measuring and identifying trees

Foresters: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1032 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  3. 3. Speaking 3.9
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.9
  5. 5. Complex Problem Solving 3.9
  6. 6. Writing 3.8
  7. 7. Monitoring 3.8
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.9
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.8
  4. 4. Biology 3.7
  5. 5. Law and Government 3.4
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.3
Pay vs Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers
-35%
vs mid peer median $117,790
This role $76,400/yr
$76K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
1,100
Annual openings
10,430
Estimated US jobs
Political Scientists
Highest-pay peer · $142K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Foresters

1. Vermont $80,750
2. Massachusetts $89,650
3. Maryland $86,100
4. Iowa $83,000
5. California $107,120
6. Oregon $81,450
7. Connecticut $84,820
8. Illinois $82,160
9. South Carolina $86,780
10. Alaska $87,210

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Political Scientists $142,080
  2. 2. Physical Scientists, All Other $122,570
  3. 3. Economists $124,720
  4. 4. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
  5. 5. Geographers $102,040
  6. 6. Psychologists, All Other $110,840

Among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers on this card, Foresters sits 35% below the mid peer median ($117,790). Its own median is $76,400.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,100 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: Vermont at $80,750. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Political Scientists at $142,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Foresters pay-rank #32 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Foresters sits at pay-rank #32 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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.

Foresters pays 35% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Foresters salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1032

Vermont · top state for Foresters

$81K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$90K · behind Vermont

Political Scientists

Highest-pay peer vs Foresters · $142K

Geographers

Lower-pay peer beside Foresters · $102K

Compare Foresters

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

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Foresters

Against another occupation

Political Scientists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Foresters mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #32 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Historians ($77K), Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists ($77K), Soil and Plant Scientists ($79K), Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ($82K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do foresters do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Foresters. Leading ones include: Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations; Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands; Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality; Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for foresters? ▼
For SOC 19-1032, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.9), Speaking (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Foresters? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $76,400 as the national median for Foresters. The published 10th-90th range is $50,790 to $109,700. Beside Political Scientists ($142,080), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Foresters? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Foresters is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 1,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Foresters? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Foresters. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Foresters? ▼
Vermont ($80,750), Massachusetts ($89,650), Maryland ($86,100) 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 Foresters card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1032. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Foresters. 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