Foresters
Median $76,400
Occupation · SOC 19-1031
Conservation Scientists: pay and where the jobs are
What conservation scientists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$73,010 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $77,130
- Median hourly wage
- $35.10
- Mean hourly wage
- $37.08
- Employment
- 25,950
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1031.
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See where your pay falls among conservation scientists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do conservation scientists make?
The median annual wage for conservation scientists was $73,010 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $47,550 and the highest-paid 10% more than $110,410. As an hourly rate, the median is $35.10. About 25,950 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($99,400), Colorado ($84,820) and Maryland ($83,290). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Louisiana.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for conservation scientists 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 | $47,550 | $22.86 | $3,963 | $3,366 |
| 25th percentile | $57,700 | $27.74 | $4,808 | $4,045 |
| Median | $73,010 | $35.10 | $6,084 | $5,016 |
| 75th percentile | $91,560 | $44.02 | $7,630 | $6,104 |
| 90th percentile | $110,410 | $53.08 | $9,201 | $7,209 |
Conservation Scientists: pay by state
53 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
$71,677 take-home in national prices
2
$71,238 take-home in national prices
3
$70,762 take-home in national prices
Where a median conservation scientist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 110 | $99,400 | $66,130 | $142,430 | $73,277 | $66,676 |
| Colorado | 1,230 | $84,820 | $57,710 | $134,350 | $65,104 | $63,176 |
| Maryland | 470 | $83,290 | $57,760 | $128,610 | $63,834 | $60,818 |
| Idaho | 300 | $81,330 | $47,300 | $99,560 | $62,843 | $65,809 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $81,310 | $49,940 | $100,420 | $66,032 | $71,238 |
| Oregon | 1,020 | $80,790 | $61,110 | $130,400 | $59,714 | $57,772 |
| Louisiana | 190 | $80,190 | $29,520 | $136,990 | $63,224 | $71,677 |
| California | 2,110 | $79,810 | $53,650 | $132,060 | $60,761 | $54,879 |
| Wisconsin | 970 | $79,540 | $47,440 | $102,750 | $61,573 | $65,437 |
| Alaska | 290 | $79,260 | $53,830 | $135,120 | $64,318 | $62,836 |
| Utah | 410 | $78,850 | $55,090 | $104,000 | $60,970 | $61,670 |
| Massachusetts | 760 | $78,740 | $51,070 | $119,460 | $60,144 | $56,870 |
| Washington | 1,270 | $78,450 | $59,700 | $106,710 | $62,931 | $58,807 |
| Virginia | 480 | $77,380 | $45,910 | $161,470 | $59,632 | $58,980 |
| North Dakota | 340 | $77,280 | $51,470 | $109,300 | $62,949 | $70,762 |
| Alabama | 110 | $77,000 | $48,730 | $115,590 | $59,795 | $67,319 |
| New York | 640 | $76,990 | $46,580 | $115,210 | $59,068 | $54,733 |
| New Mexico | 330 | $76,800 | $46,520 | $111,010 | $60,415 | $65,517 |
| Nebraska | 220 | $76,400 | $54,500 | $106,330 | $59,981 | $66,569 |
| South Dakota | 360 | $76,400 | $51,100 | $100,420 | $62,577 | $70,640 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $76,130 | $56,580 | $173,650 | $59,312 | $57,990 |
| Maine | 290 | $75,900 | $48,150 | $107,680 | $58,401 | $60,176 |
| New Hampshire | 130 | $74,650 | $44,340 | $103,710 | $61,346 | $58,893 |
| Montana | 560 | $73,920 | $48,660 | $106,330 | $58,017 | $61,300 |
| Connecticut | 140 | $73,860 | $65,430 | $123,320 | $57,109 | $55,119 |
| Arkansas | 230 | $73,320 | $51,630 | $109,300 | $58,185 | $66,928 |
| Nevada | 210 | $73,030 | $36,780 | $107,920 | $60,207 | $60,219 |
| Kentucky | 180 | $71,980 | $45,710 | $106,330 | $57,066 | $63,295 |
| Minnesota | 770 | $71,280 | $45,740 | $106,330 | $55,338 | $56,112 |
| Puerto Rico | 50 | $71,280 | $42,300 | $112,260 | — | — |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $71,270 | $42,000 | $106,420 | $56,307 | $64,099 |
| Tennessee | 250 | $70,500 | $48,190 | $109,300 | $58,427 | $63,597 |
| Vermont | 100 | $70,130 | $49,750 | $105,420 | $56,042 | $57,210 |
| West Virginia | 160 | $69,910 | $42,670 | $133,470 | $55,699 | $62,236 |
| Illinois | 730 | $69,590 | $42,020 | $117,590 | $54,487 | $54,510 |
| Georgia | 360 | $69,240 | $49,230 | $137,450 | $54,834 | $56,945 |
| Iowa | 610 | $69,240 | $50,320 | $97,870 | $55,561 | $63,309 |
| Texas | 1,970 | $68,620 | $53,440 | $92,320 | $57,104 | $58,836 |
| Kansas | 220 | $67,200 | $48,440 | $105,370 | $53,155 | $59,017 |
| Arizona | 410 | $66,750 | $47,410 | $104,750 | $54,514 | $54,147 |
| Hawaii | 220 | $65,740 | $42,300 | $132,020 | $51,481 | $46,822 |
| Indiana | 430 | $64,570 | $39,200 | $105,020 | $52,187 | $55,917 |
| North Carolina | 540 | $64,460 | $47,190 | $111,740 | $51,910 | $55,033 |
| New Jersey | 500 | $64,020 | $50,340 | $107,240 | $51,171 | $47,030 |
| Delaware | 80 | $63,850 | $48,650 | $89,990 | $50,355 | $50,452 |
| Michigan | 820 | $63,500 | $44,680 | $109,300 | $50,754 | $52,750 |
| Ohio | 680 | $63,160 | $44,070 | $99,780 | $51,636 | $55,657 |
| Missouri | 600 | $63,130 | $44,570 | $97,680 | $50,875 | $56,019 |
| Pennsylvania | 900 | $61,480 | $38,560 | $93,100 | $49,649 | $50,884 |
| Mississippi | 470 | $59,510 | $42,160 | $106,330 | $48,348 | $55,602 |
| South Carolina | 300 | $52,310 | $37,810 | $96,100 | $43,058 | $45,929 |
| Florida | 950 | $51,130 | $37,110 | $98,360 | $43,263 | $41,835 |
| Virgin Islands | 40 | $50,080 | $34,300 | $65,520 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1031. *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.