Fallers
Median $52,100
Occupation · SOC 45-4011
Forest and Conservation Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What forest and conservation workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$43,680 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $43,680
- Median hourly wage
- $21.00
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.00
- Employment
- 6,050
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 45-4011.
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See where your pay falls among forest and conservation workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do forest and conservation workers make?
The median annual wage for forest and conservation workers was $43,680 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,780 and the highest-paid 10% more than $57,220. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.00. About 6,050 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Idaho ($59,460), Hawaii ($56,330) and Virginia ($54,560). Idaho also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for forest and conservation workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,780 | $16.24 | $2,815 | $2,444 |
| 25th percentile | $37,440 | $18.00 | $3,120 | $2,689 |
| Median | $43,680 | $21.00 | $3,640 | $3,106 |
| 75th percentile | $45,760 | $22.00 | $3,813 | $3,246 |
| 90th percentile | $57,220 | $27.51 | $4,768 | $4,013 |
Forest and Conservation Workers: pay by state
27 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$50,174 take-home in national prices
2
$44,780 take-home in national prices
3
$43,370 take-home in national prices
Where a median forest and conservation worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | Not published | $59,460 | $38,480 | $60,530 | $47,913 | $50,174 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $56,330 | $48,930 | $64,390 | $44,679 | $40,635 |
| Virginia | Not published | $54,560 | $40,600 | $62,400 | $43,696 | $43,219 |
| Massachusetts | 120 | $51,890 | $35,160 | $73,470 | $41,260 | $39,014 |
| Pennsylvania | 210 | $50,250 | $43,740 | $62,290 | $40,978 | $41,998 |
| Ohio | 160 | $48,470 | $31,590 | $64,980 | $40,236 | $43,370 |
| Arkansas | 30 | $47,310 | $37,520 | $58,440 | $38,931 | $44,780 |
| Oregon | 70 | $46,010 | $38,470 | $63,110 | $35,930 | $34,762 |
| Washington | 460 | $44,430 | $37,310 | $57,720 | $37,263 | $34,821 |
| South Carolina | 40 | $44,050 | $37,260 | $58,890 | $36,969 | $39,434 |
| California | 2,270 | $43,680 | $36,080 | $45,760 | $35,979 | $32,496 |
| New Jersey | 40 | $41,600 | $33,280 | $56,910 | $34,503 | $31,711 |
| Tennessee | 210 | $40,320 | $31,200 | $44,430 | $34,577 | $37,637 |
| Louisiana | 150 | $39,900 | $30,270 | $52,740 | $33,429 | $37,898 |
| Minnesota | 30 | $39,590 | $35,780 | $55,160 | $32,517 | $32,972 |
| South Dakota | 490 | $38,210 | $34,380 | $50,640 | $32,882 | $37,118 |
| Colorado | 110 | $37,690 | $31,190 | $61,550 | $31,348 | $30,420 |
| Missouri | 120 | $37,170 | $36,750 | $45,360 | $31,236 | $34,395 |
| Florida | 70 | $36,780 | $35,160 | $50,120 | $31,733 | $30,685 |
| Wisconsin | 300 | $36,420 | $33,110 | $53,680 | $30,536 | $32,452 |
| New Mexico | 30 | $36,370 | $34,530 | $40,690 | $30,807 | $33,409 |
| Nevada | Not published | $35,760 | $34,810 | $51,570 | $30,913 | $30,920 |
| Georgia | 160 | $34,150 | $23,430 | $79,070 | $28,664 | $29,767 |
| Connecticut | 40 | $34,010 | $34,010 | $55,390 | $28,590 | $27,593 |
| Iowa | 40 | $33,600 | $28,580 | $72,880 | $28,553 | $32,534 |
| Montana | Not published | $32,600 | $32,600 | $52,320 | $27,599 | $29,160 |
| Texas | Not published | $30,470 | $30,470 | $32,720 | $26,663 | $27,471 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 45-4011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.