45 Series · SOC 45-4011
Forest and Conservation Workers Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $43,680
- Median / year
- +0%
- 2024→2025
- $57,220
- Top 10% earn
- -4.7%
- Growth '24–'34
- 6,050
- Estimated US jobs
Forest and Conservation Workers earn a median of $43,680 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $43,680, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $33,780 (10th percentile) to $57,220 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 6,050 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is Idaho ($59,460).
The pay verdict
Forest and Conservation Workers earn a median of $43,680, putting them among the lower-paid US occupations and higher than 17% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Farming, Fishing, and Forestry, it ranks #8 of 13 by median pay. Employment is projected to fall 4.7% by 2034.
- $43,680
- Median annual wage
- Top 83%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #8 of 13
- in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
- 1.7×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Idaho at $59,460. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Forest and Conservation Workers moved from $31,770 in May 2019 to $43,680 in May 2025 (+37.5%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Forest and Conservation Workers sits +13.0 pp ahead of that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Forest and Conservation Workers (SOC 45-4011) has a national median of $43,680 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $33,780 to $57,220, and the published mean is $43,680. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 6,050 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 27 state or territory areas and 29 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $43,680 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $43,680 in May 2025, a rise of $0 (+0%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a -4.7% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as declining relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 2,000 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Idaho pays the highest state median at $59,460, which is +36% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI at $52,850. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$43,680
per year
Median Hourly
$21.00/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$43,680
average
Employment
6,050
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Forest and Conservation Workers pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$43,680 Bottom 17% higher than 17% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 (this entry) | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$43,680 · 17th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 45-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Forest and Conservation Workers; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Farmworkers and Labo…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.3%, Median annual wage $35660
- Farmworkers, Farm, R…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5%, Median annual wage $36670
- Agricultural Equipme…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 7.7%, Median annual wage $41730
- First-Line Superviso…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.5%, Median annual wage $59320
- Graders and Sorters,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.4%, Median annual wage $35730
- Logging Equipment Op…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.4%, Median annual wage $49740
- Agricultural Inspect…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.5%, Median annual wage $49940
- Forest and Conservat…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -4.7%, Median annual wage $43680
- Agricultural Workers…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.3%, Median annual wage $39850
- Fallers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -7.3%, Median annual wage $52100
- Log Graders and Scal…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.7%, Median annual wage $46330
- Logging Workers, All…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -4.7%, Median annual wage $50840
- Animal Breeders: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.4%, Median annual wage $51130
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
-4.7%
Declining
Annual Openings
2,000
per year (projected)
Employment Change
-500
10,800 (2024) → 10,300 (2034)
Typical Education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-Job Training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
23.5/100K
Injury Rate
2.2/100
Danger Index
20.6/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Forest and Conservation Workers roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Check equipment to ensure that it is operating properly.
- ▸ Fight forest fires or perform prescribed burning tasks under the direction of fire suppression officers or forestry technicians.
- ▸ Perform fire protection or suppression duties, such as constructing fire breaks or disposing of brush.
- ▸ Maintain tallies of trees examined and counted during tree marking or measuring efforts.
- ▸ Confer with other workers to discuss issues, such as safety, cutting heights, or work needs.
- ▸ Explain or enforce regulations regarding camping, vehicle use, fires, use of buildings, or sanitation.
- ▸ Operate skidders, bulldozers, or other prime movers to pull a variety of scarification or site preparation equipment over areas to be regenerated.
- ▸ Spray or inject vegetation with insecticides to kill insects or to protect against disease or with herbicides to reduce competing vegetation.
- ▸ Thin or space trees, using power thinning saws.
- ▸ Identify diseased or undesirable trees and remove them, using power saws or hand saws.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Forest and Conservation Workers pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $26,190 |
| 2016 | $26,940 |
| 2017 | $27,650 |
| 2018 | $27,460 |
| 2019 | $31,770 |
| 2020 | $30,640 |
| 2021 | $30,550 |
| 2022 | $32,270 |
| 2023 | $33,940 |
| 2024 | $43,680 |
| 2025 | $43,680 |
2015 median
$26,190
2025 median
$43,680
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$11,910 (+37.5%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+5.4%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $26,190 | First banked release | 6,870 |
| May 2016 | $26,940 | +2.9% | 7,170 |
| May 2017 | $27,650 | +2.6% | 7,080 |
| May 2018 | $27,460 | -0.7% | 7,510 |
| May 2019 | $31,770 | Classification break | 6,760 |
| May 2020 | $30,640 | -3.6% | 6,490 |
| May 2021 | $30,550 | -0.3% | 6,300 |
| May 2022 | $32,270 | +5.6% | 6,080 |
| May 2023 | $33,940 | +5.2% | 5,750 |
| May 2024 | $43,680 | +28.7% | 5,630 |
| May 2025 | $43,680 | +0.0% | 6,050 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $26,190 in May 2015 to $43,680 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +5.4% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 6,760 in May 2019 to 6,050 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
Lowest Paying States
View all 27 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $59,460 | +36% above national |
| 2 | Hawaii | $56,330 | +29% above national |
| 3 | Virginia | $54,560 | +25% above national |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $51,890 | +19% above national |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $50,250 | +15% above national |
| 6 | Ohio | $48,470 | +11% above national |
| 7 | Arkansas | $47,310 | +8% above national |
| 8 | Oregon | $46,010 | +5% above national |
| 9 | Washington | $44,430 | +2% above national |
| 10 | South Carolina | $44,050 | +1% above national |
| 11 | California | $43,680 | same as national |
| 12 | New Jersey | $41,600 | 5% below national |
| 13 | Tennessee | $40,320 | 8% below national |
| 14 | Louisiana | $39,900 | 9% below national |
| 15 | Minnesota | $39,590 | 9% below national |
| 16 | South Dakota | $38,210 | 13% below national |
| 17 | Colorado | $37,690 | 14% below national |
| 18 | Missouri | $37,170 | 15% below national |
| 19 | Florida | $36,780 | 16% below national |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $36,420 | 17% below national |
| 21 | New Mexico | $36,370 | 17% below national |
| 22 | Nevada | $35,760 | 18% below national |
| 23 | Georgia | $34,150 | 22% below national |
| 24 | Connecticut | $34,010 | 22% below national |
| 25 | Iowa | $33,600 | 23% below national |
| 26 | Montana | $32,600 | 25% below national |
| 27 | Texas | $30,470 | 30% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 20 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $52,850 | +21% above national |
| 2 | Pittsburgh, PA | $51,330 | +18% above national |
| 3 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $51,300 | +17% above national |
| 4 | Rapid City, SD | $50,110 | +15% above national |
| 5 | Cleveland, OH | $48,470 | +11% above national |
| 6 | Columbus, OH | $47,730 | +9% above national |
| 7 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $45,530 | +4% above national |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $45,510 | +4% above national |
| 9 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 10 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 11 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 12 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 13 | Salinas, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 14 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $43,680 | same as national |
| 15 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $41,610 | 5% below national |
| 16 | Knoxville, TN | $40,320 | 8% below national |
| 17 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $39,490 | 10% below national |
| 18 | Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $37,470 | 14% below national |
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $36,370 | 17% below national |
| 20 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $36,080 | 17% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 45 (Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Agricultural Equipment Operators
SOC 45-2091
Agricultural Inspectors
SOC 45-2011
Agricultural Workers, All Other
SOC 45-2099
Animal Breeders
SOC 45-2021
Fallers
SOC 45-4021
Showing 5 of 12 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($43,680 here) and reported employment (6,050 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Forest and Conservation Workers make? ▼
Where does Forest and Conservation Workers pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Forest and Conservation Workers the most? ▼
What education do Forest and Conservation Workers need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Forest and Conservation Workers? ▼
Is Forest and Conservation Workers a good career? ▼
How does Forest and Conservation Workers pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Forest and Conservation Workers? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Forest and Conservation Workers pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $45,760/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: Idaho leads at $59,460/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.