Conservation Scientists
Median $73,010
Occupation · SOC 19-1032
Foresters: pay and where the jobs are
What foresters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$76,400 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $79,170
- Median hourly wage
- $36.73
- Mean hourly wage
- $38.06
- Employment
- 10,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1032.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among foresters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do foresters make?
The median annual wage for foresters was $76,400 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,790 and the highest-paid 10% more than $109,700. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.73. About 10,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($107,120), Massachusetts ($89,650) and Alaska ($87,210). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for foresters 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 | $50,790 | $24.42 | $4,233 | $3,582 |
| 25th percentile | $62,710 | $30.15 | $5,226 | $4,381 |
| Median | $76,400 | $36.73 | $6,367 | $5,215 |
| 75th percentile | $91,640 | $44.06 | $7,637 | $6,108 |
| 90th percentile | $109,700 | $52.74 | $9,142 | $7,167 |
Foresters: pay by state
44 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
$73,743 take-home in national prices
2
$70,871 take-home in national prices
3
$69,616 take-home in national prices
Where a median forester paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 820 | $107,120 | $71,110 | $156,750 | $77,079 | $69,616 |
| Massachusetts | 130 | $89,650 | $63,110 | $105,350 | $67,224 | $63,564 |
| Alaska | 80 | $87,210 | $61,840 | $104,680 | $69,911 | $68,300 |
| South Carolina | 250 | $86,780 | $59,310 | $102,670 | $66,441 | $70,871 |
| Maryland | 120 | $86,100 | $35,970 | $109,500 | $65,678 | $62,575 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $84,820 | $71,400 | $98,730 | $64,162 | $61,926 |
| Iowa | 50 | $83,000 | $68,470 | $104,720 | $64,718 | $73,743 |
| Illinois | 220 | $82,160 | $60,230 | $120,150 | $62,707 | $62,734 |
| Oregon | 670 | $81,450 | $60,600 | $107,170 | $60,117 | $58,162 |
| Vermont | 80 | $80,750 | $61,400 | $100,930 | $62,812 | $64,122 |
| Texas | 210 | $80,370 | $60,590 | $101,980 | $65,370 | $67,352 |
| Alabama | 240 | $79,530 | $50,240 | $95,400 | $61,476 | $69,212 |
| Washington | 950 | $78,460 | $59,830 | $119,320 | $62,938 | $58,814 |
| Pennsylvania | 310 | $78,280 | $47,590 | $111,970 | $61,442 | $62,971 |
| North Carolina | Not published | $77,870 | $46,800 | $96,900 | $61,013 | $64,683 |
| Georgia | 370 | $76,970 | $31,460 | $109,700 | $59,886 | $62,192 |
| Minnesota | 390 | $76,490 | $57,910 | $105,080 | $58,626 | $59,446 |
| Colorado | 210 | $76,400 | $52,090 | $97,410 | $59,588 | $57,823 |
| Michigan | 340 | $75,920 | $57,620 | $98,570 | $59,264 | $61,594 |
| Utah | 40 | $75,210 | $61,590 | $94,560 | $58,618 | $59,292 |
| District of Columbia | Not published | $74,710 | $74,700 | $103,330 | $57,979 | $52,756 |
| New York | 280 | $73,710 | $58,240 | $108,580 | $56,952 | $52,772 |
| Ohio | 160 | $73,320 | $53,270 | $96,260 | $58,838 | $63,421 |
| Tennessee | 120 | $71,990 | $56,950 | $91,870 | $59,475 | $64,738 |
| Virginia | 340 | $71,990 | $47,200 | $100,610 | $56,150 | $55,537 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $71,280 | $44,520 | $134,980 | $56,856 | $65,387 |
| Arkansas | 130 | $69,240 | $47,750 | $91,170 | $55,466 | $63,800 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $69,240 | $57,910 | $87,190 | $55,452 | $60,135 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $68,180 | $61,110 | $88,880 | $56,795 | $61,273 |
| Kansas | 40 | $67,540 | $57,240 | $87,230 | $53,375 | $59,261 |
| Arizona | 70 | $67,200 | $49,940 | $88,710 | $54,819 | $54,450 |
| Montana | 240 | $67,200 | $50,900 | $86,260 | $53,669 | $56,706 |
| Maine | 70 | $66,480 | $54,070 | $87,810 | $52,455 | $54,049 |
| Wisconsin | 570 | $66,010 | $48,780 | $88,090 | $52,809 | $56,123 |
| Idaho | 280 | $65,170 | $48,110 | $80,770 | $52,198 | $54,661 |
| New Hampshire | 110 | $65,170 | $46,800 | $97,670 | $54,544 | $52,363 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $64,460 | $50,110 | $80,700 | $53,974 | $60,928 |
| Florida | 380 | $64,130 | $49,920 | $112,660 | $53,708 | $51,935 |
| Missouri | 120 | $63,220 | $48,240 | $86,630 | $50,943 | $56,094 |
| West Virginia | 100 | $62,550 | $40,910 | $86,820 | $50,463 | $56,385 |
| Indiana | 160 | $61,110 | $48,150 | $97,020 | $49,509 | $53,047 |
| Kentucky | 120 | $56,460 | $49,940 | $88,710 | $45,687 | $50,674 |
| Nevada | Not published | $51,070 | $47,340 | $93,360 | $43,215 | $43,224 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $50,990 | $48,280 | $102,300 | $41,401 | $47,131 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1032. *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.