19 Series · SOC 19-1032

Foresters Salary

National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).

$76,400
Median / year
$109,700
Top 10% earn
+1.2%
Growth '23–'33
10,430
US workers

Foresters earn a median of $76,400 per year.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $76,400, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $50,790 (10th percentile) to $109,700 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 10,430 US workers. California pays the most ($107,120), since pay varies by state and metro area.

19 Series · Source: BLS OEWS Compare with another job →
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The pay verdict

Foresters earn a median of $76,400, putting them above the typical US occupation and higher than 68% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Life, Physical, and Social Science, it ranks #32 of 48 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 1.2% by 2033.

$76,400
Median annual wage
Top 32%
of 825 US occupations with published wages
#32 of 48
in Life, Physical, and Social Science
2.2×
90th-to-10th pay spread

Highest-paying state: California at $107,120. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.

Foresters (SOC 19-1032) pays a national median of $76,400 per year according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey released in May 2025. Full-range compensation stretches from $50,790 at the 10th percentile to $109,700 at the 90th, with a mean of $79,170 indicating a right-skew where top earners pull the average above the midpoint. An estimated 10,430 Americans work in this occupation across 44 reporting states and 93 metro areas.

BLS Employment Projections forecast a +1.2% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which the agency classifies as slower than average relative to the 5% all-occupations baseline. About 1,100 openings are projected per year, combining new positions with replacement needs from retirements and occupation-switchers. Typical entry-level preparation is Bachelor's degree. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) produce a workplace-safety grade of A for this role, with a fatality rate of 1.5 per 100,000 and injury rate of 0.7 per 100.

Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. California pays the highest state median at $107,120, which is +40% above the national figure. The top metro is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $112,560 - metro premiums typically reflect higher cost of living, industry concentration, or specialized employer demand. When using this page for negotiation or career planning, pair the national median with the state and metro rows below, remember that BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, and revisit after each May OEWS release since percentiles shift with cost-of-living cycles and industry demand. See our methodology for exactly how these figures are sourced, computed, and verified.

BLS OEWS May 2025 10,430 jobs Median $76,400/yr

Median Salary

$76,400

per year

Median Hourly

$36.73/hr

per hour

Mean Salary

$79,170

average

Employment

10,430

jobs nationwide

How does this pay compare nationally?

Where Foresters pay sits nationally

Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median

$76,400 Top 32% higher than 68% of 825 US occupations

$0–$20,000: 0 US occupations (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 98 US occupations (12%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 298 US occupations (36%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 209 US occupations (25%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 82 US occupations (10%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 58 US occupations (7%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 32 US occupations (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 14 US occupations (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 9 US occupations (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 25 US occupations (3%). Above this entry. This job $0 $200,000 every BLS occupation, bucketed by value

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.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Does this job pay well and grow?

Each dot is a 19-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Foresters; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).

Among 25 19-series occupations with growth data, Foresters sits on the slower-growing side at +1.2% growth and $76,400 median pay.

Among 25 19-series occupations with growth data, Foresters sits on the slower-growing side at +1.2% growth and $76,400 median pay. Scatter plot of 25 data points. $0$50000$100000$150000$200000 -5%0%5%10%15% Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) Median annual wage
Among 25 19-series occupations with growth data, Foresters sits on the slower-growing side at +1.2% growth and $76,400 median pay.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).

Job Outlook (2024–2034)

Projected Growth

+1.2%

Slower than average

Annual Openings

1,100

per year (projected)

Typical Education

Bachelor's degree

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034

Workplace Safety

All safety ratings →
A

Very Safe

Safety Grade (BLS 2023)

Fatality Rate

1.5/100K

Injury Rate

0.7/100

Danger Index

3.6/100

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 Foresters roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.

Top Skills

Active Listening 4.0
Reading Comprehension 3.9
Speaking 3.9
Critical Thinking 3.9
Complex Problem Solving 3.9
Writing 3.8
Monitoring 3.8
Judgment and Decision Making 3.8
Systems Analysis 3.6
Systems Evaluation 3.6

Knowledge Areas

Customer and Personal Service 3.9
English Language 3.8
Administration and Management 3.8
Biology 3.7
Law and Government 3.4
Mathematics 3.3
Geography 3.3
Public Safety and Security 3.3
Education and Training 3.1
Computers and Electronics 3.0

Key Tasks

  • ▸ 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.
  • ▸ Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
  • ▸ Procure timber from private landowners.
  • ▸ Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
  • ▸ Subcontract with loggers or pulpwood cutters for tree removal and to aid in road layout.
  • ▸ Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries.
  • ▸ Map forest area soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth.

Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.

Salary Range

Annual Salary Distribution

$50,790$62,710$76,400$91,640$109,700
10th pct25thMedian75th90th pct

Hourly Rate Distribution

$24.42$30.15$36.73$44.06$52.74
10th pct25thMedian75th90th pct

10th Percentile

$50,790

25th Percentile

$62,710

Median

$76,400

75th Percentile

$91,640

90th Percentile

$109,700

Salary by State

Highest Paying States

1. California $107,120 2. Massachusetts $89,650 3. Alaska $87,210 4. South Carolina $86,780 5. Maryland $86,100

Lowest Paying States

40. Oklahoma $50,990 41. Nevada $51,070 42. Kentucky $56,460 43. Indiana $61,110 44. West Virginia $62,550
View all 44 states →
# State Median Salary vs National
1 California $107,120 +40% above national
2 Massachusetts $89,650 +17% above national
3 Alaska $87,210 +14% above national
4 South Carolina $86,780 +14% above national
5 Maryland $86,100 +13% above national
6 Connecticut $84,820 +11% above national
7 Iowa $83,000 +9% above national
8 Illinois $82,160 +8% above national
9 Oregon $81,450 +7% above national
10 Vermont $80,750 +6% above national
11 Texas $80,370 +5% above national
12 Alabama $79,530 +4% above national
13 Washington $78,460 +3% above national
14 Pennsylvania $78,280 +2% above national
15 North Carolina $77,870 +2% above national
16 Georgia $76,970 +1% above national
17 Minnesota $76,490 same as national
18 Colorado $76,400 same as national
19 Michigan $75,920 1% below national
20 Utah $75,210 2% below national
21 District of Columbia $74,710 2% below national
22 New York $73,710 4% below national
23 Ohio $73,320 4% below national
24 Tennessee $71,990 6% below national
25 Virginia $71,990 6% below national
26 Mississippi $71,280 7% below national
27 Arkansas $69,240 9% below national
28 New Mexico $69,240 9% below national
29 Wyoming $68,180 11% below national
30 Kansas $67,540 12% below national
31 Arizona $67,200 12% below national
32 Montana $67,200 12% below national
33 Maine $66,480 13% below national
34 Wisconsin $66,010 14% below national
35 Idaho $65,170 15% below national
36 New Hampshire $65,170 15% below national
37 South Dakota $64,460 16% below national
38 Florida $64,130 16% below national
39 Missouri $63,220 17% below national
40 West Virginia $62,550 18% below national
41 Indiana $61,110 20% below national
42 Kentucky $56,460 26% below national
43 Nevada $51,070 33% below national
44 Oklahoma $50,990 33% below national

Salary by Metro Area

Highest Paying Metros

1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $112,560 2. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $107,750 3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $107,690 4. Fresno, CA $102,540 5. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $93,340

Lowest Paying Metros

89. Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area $48,180 90. Reno, NV $48,620 91. Raleigh-Cary, NC $49,790 92. Oklahoma City, OK $50,990 93. Gainesville, FL $51,500
View all 93 metro areas →
# Metro Area Median Salary vs National
1 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $112,560 +47% above national
2 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $107,750 +41% above national
3 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $107,690 +41% above national
4 Fresno, CA $102,540 +34% above national
5 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $93,340 +22% above national
6 Columbia, SC $89,990 +18% above national
7 Southern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area $89,800 +18% above national
8 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $89,780 +18% above national
9 Salem, OR $89,220 +17% above national
10 Alaska nonmetropolitan area $87,780 +15% above national
11 Birmingham, AL $87,050 +14% above national
12 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $86,310 +13% above national
13 Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area $86,300 +13% above national
14 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $86,070 +13% above national
15 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT $86,060 +13% above national
16 Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area $85,690 +12% above national
17 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $85,610 +12% above national
18 Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area $83,780 +10% above national
19 Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area $83,780 +10% above national
20 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $83,720 +10% above national
21 South Georgia nonmetropolitan area $82,850 +8% above national
22 Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area $82,670 +8% above national
23 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $82,310 +8% above national
24 Corvallis, OR $81,450 +7% above national
25 Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area $81,220 +6% above national
26 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $80,600 +5% above national
27 Eugene-Springfield, OR $79,980 +5% above national
28 Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area $79,440 +4% above national
29 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $78,800 +3% above national
30 Longview-Kelso, WA $78,460 +3% above national
31 Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area $78,450 +3% above national
32 Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area $78,110 +2% above national
33 Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area $78,090 +2% above national
34 Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area $77,420 +1% above national
35 Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area $77,400 +1% above national
36 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA $76,600 same as national
37 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA $76,600 same as national
38 Western Washington nonmetropolitan area $76,600 same as national
39 Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area $76,600 same as national
40 Duluth, MN-WI $76,400 same as national
41 Medford, OR $76,400 same as national
42 North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area $76,400 same as national
43 Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area $76,400 same as national
44 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $76,330 same as national
45 Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area $76,310 same as national
46 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $75,810 1% below national
47 Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area $75,360 1% below national
48 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA $74,710 2% below national
49 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $74,710 2% below national
50 St. Louis, MO-IL $73,950 3% below national
51 Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area $73,920 3% below national
52 Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area $73,690 4% below national
53 Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area $73,400 4% below national
54 Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area $73,200 4% below national
55 Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area $72,450 5% below national
56 Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area $72,250 5% below national
57 Columbus, OH $71,340 7% below national
58 West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area $71,280 7% below national
59 Jacksonville, FL $71,040 7% below national
60 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL $70,340 8% below national
61 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN $69,820 9% below national
62 Madison, WI $69,620 9% below national
63 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $69,620 9% below national
64 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $69,010 10% below national
65 Lansing-East Lansing, MI $67,750 11% below national
66 Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $66,570 13% below national
67 Tallahassee, FL $66,470 13% below national
68 Richmond, VA $66,430 13% below national
69 Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area $66,180 13% below national
70 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $66,110 13% below national
71 Coeur d'Alene, ID $66,000 14% below national
72 West Montana nonmetropolitan area $65,700 14% below national
73 East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area $65,450 14% below national
74 Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $65,290 15% below national
75 South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $65,290 15% below national
76 Boise City, ID $65,170 15% below national
77 Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $64,670 15% below national
78 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN $64,610 15% below national
79 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $64,110 16% below national
80 Rapid City, SD $63,210 17% below national
81 Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area $63,130 17% below national
82 Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area $62,550 18% below national
83 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $61,890 19% below national
84 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $59,430 22% below national
85 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL $58,820 23% below national
86 West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area $58,220 24% below national
87 Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area $56,190 26% below national
88 Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area $53,340 30% below national
89 Gainesville, FL $51,500 33% below national
90 Oklahoma City, OK $50,990 33% below national
91 Raleigh-Cary, NC $49,790 35% below national
92 Reno, NV $48,620 36% below national
93 Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area $48,180 37% below national

Similar Occupations in the Same Category

Other roles in SOC major group 19 (life physical and social science) with comparable pay and career paths.

Agricultural Technicians

SOC 19-4012

Animal Scientists

SOC 19-1011

Anthropologists and Archeologists

SOC 19-3091

Astronomers

SOC 19-2011

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

SOC 19-2021
Compare Foresters side-by-side with another occupation →

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Foresters make? ▼
The median annual salary for Foresters is $76,400 ($36.73/hour). The salary range spans from $50,790 at the 10th percentile to $109,700 at the 90th percentile.
What state pays Foresters the most? ▼
California pays the highest median salary for Foresters at $107,120/year, which is +40% above the national median.
What education do you need to become a Foresters? ▼
The typical entry-level education for Foresters is Bachelor's degree.
How dangerous is being a Foresters? ▼
Foresters has a safety grade of A (Very Safe) based on BLS data. The fatality rate is 1.5 per 100,000 workers and the injury rate is 0.7 per 100 workers.
Is Foresters a good career? ▼
Employment for Foresters is projected to grow 1.2% from 2024 to 2034, which is slower than average. About 1,100 openings are projected each year.
How does Foresters pay vary by state? ▼
Foresters salaries vary significantly by state. The highest-paying state is California at $107,120/year, while West Virginia pays the least at $62,550/year. BLS data covers 44 states and territories.
Which metro areas pay the most for Foresters? ▼
The highest-paying metro area for Foresters is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $112,560/year. BLS reports wage data for 93 metro areas for this occupation, with pay varying based on local demand and cost of living.

What to do with this data

How to use Foresters pay figures in a real decision

  • For an experienced offer, anchor on the 75th percentile (about $91,640/year), not the median. The median marks the middle worker; the upper quartile is the realistic target with strong experience. Salary calculator
  • Location moves pay significantly: California leads at $107,120/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.

Data as of May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 annual release. Employment projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034. Data reflects cross-industry estimates for all ownership types.

These are survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. See how to use them.

Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. This occupation's figures are computed directly from the BLS OEWS and Employment Projections datasets, nothing is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.

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.