SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. May inventory the type, amount, and location of standing timber, appraise the timber’s worth, negotiate the purchase, and draw up contracts for procurement. May determine how to conserve wildlife habitats, creek beds, water quality, and soil stability, and how best to comply with environmental regulations. May devise plans for planting and growing new trees, monitor trees for healthy growth, and determine optimal harvesting schedules.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 19-1032.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $50,790 | $4,232 | $977 | $24.42 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $62,710 | $5,226 | $1,206 | $30.15 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $76,400 | $6,367 | $1,469 | $36.73 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $91,640 | $7,637 | $1,762 | $44.06 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $109,700 | $9,142 | $2,110 | $52.74 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Foresters is $76,400, which is 50% higher. Among the 48 occupations of the field Life, Physical, and Social Science, it ranks number 32 by median pay. With 10,430 jobs, it makes up about 0.7 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Foresters pay by state
The highest median pay was in California ($107,120), Massachusetts ($89,650) and Alaska ($87,210). The lowest was in Oklahoma ($50,990), Nevada ($51,070) and Kentucky ($56,460). The most jobs were in Washington (950), California (820) and Oregon (670). The occupation is most concentrated in Montana, where its share of all jobs is 7.0 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 820 | $107,120 | $110,770 | $51.50 |
| Massachusetts | 130 | $89,650 | $86,020 | $43.10 |
| Alaska | 80 | $87,210 | $86,060 | $41.93 |
| South Carolina | 250 | $86,780 | $84,380 | $41.72 |
| Maryland | 120 | $86,100 | $80,200 | $41.40 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $84,820 | $86,170 | $40.78 |
| Iowa | 50 | $83,000 | $83,390 | $39.91 |
| Illinois | 220 | $82,160 | $86,700 | $39.50 |
| Oregon | 670 | $81,450 | $82,070 | $39.16 |
| Vermont | 80 | $80,750 | $81,420 | $38.82 |
| Texas | 210 | $80,370 | $82,420 | $38.64 |
| Alabama | 240 | $79,530 | $75,660 | $38.24 |
| Washington | 950 | $78,460 | $84,550 | $37.72 |
| Pennsylvania | 310 | $78,280 | $80,550 | $37.64 |
| North Carolina | not published | $77,870 | $70,850 | $37.44 |
| Georgia | 370 | $76,970 | $78,430 | $37.01 |
| Minnesota | 390 | $76,490 | $79,580 | $36.78 |
| Colorado | 210 | $76,400 | $74,560 | $36.73 |
| Michigan | 340 | $75,920 | $77,500 | $36.50 |
| Utah | 40 | $75,210 | $75,260 | $36.16 |
| District of Columbia | not published | $74,710 | $82,930 | $35.92 |
| New York | 280 | $73,710 | $79,600 | $35.44 |
| Ohio | 160 | $73,320 | $75,190 | $35.25 |
| Tennessee | 120 | $71,990 | $73,270 | $34.61 |
| Virginia | 340 | $71,990 | $73,870 | $34.61 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $71,280 | $79,970 | $34.27 |
| Arkansas | 130 | $69,240 | $68,440 | $33.29 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $69,240 | $72,920 | $33.29 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $68,180 | $71,770 | $32.78 |
| Kansas | 40 | $67,540 | $72,320 | $32.47 |
| Arizona | 70 | $67,200 | $69,670 | $32.31 |
| Montana | 240 | $67,200 | $72,080 | $32.31 |
| Maine | 70 | $66,480 | $68,980 | $31.96 |
| Wisconsin | 570 | $66,010 | $68,220 | $31.73 |
| Idaho | 280 | $65,170 | $65,370 | $31.33 |
| New Hampshire | 110 | $65,170 | $71,450 | $31.33 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $64,460 | $65,670 | $30.99 |
| Florida | 380 | $64,130 | $71,970 | $30.83 |
| Missouri | 120 | $63,220 | $67,030 | $30.39 |
| West Virginia | 100 | $62,550 | $63,560 | $30.07 |
| Indiana | 160 | $61,110 | $67,530 | $29.38 |
| Kentucky | 120 | $56,460 | $63,560 | $27.15 |
| Nevada | not published | $51,070 | $60,140 | $24.55 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $50,990 | $62,600 | $24.52 |
| Louisiana | 130 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Soil and Plant Scientists$78,850 a year
- Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists$76,780 a year
- Historians$76,750 a year
- Conservation Scientists$73,010 a year
- Forensic Science Technicians$72,060 a year
- Anthropologists and Archeologists$70,770 a year
Common questions
How much do Foresters earn in the United States?
The median pay was $76,400 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,790 and the highest-paid 10% more than $109,700.
How many people work as Foresters?
About 10,430 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.