Forest and Conservation Technicians Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for forest and conservation technicianss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $59,060 ≈ $28/hr

National median salary $54,560

Total employment 30,410 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -3.2% Decline

Annual openings 3,900 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 33,800 → 32,700 (-1,100)

Typical entry education Associate's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJCTRI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $43,000–$53,000 $53,000–$57,000 $57,000–$59,000 $59,000–$60,000 $60,000–$72,000 U.S. mean $59,060

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Alaska$71,560
Maryland$66,050
North Dakota$63,950
California$63,680
Louisiana$62,920

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Missouri$42,900
Kansas$46,730
Kentucky$48,670
Ohio$50,020
Michigan$50,570

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Alaska	$71,560	$68,160	$34	+21.2%	500
2	Maryland	$66,050	$64,980	$32	+11.8%	130
3	North Dakota	$63,950	$68,600	$31	+8.3%	160
4	California	$63,680	$58,120	$31	+7.8%	6,640
5	Louisiana	$62,920	$59,370	$30	+6.5%	210
6	Colorado	$62,090	$57,550	$30	+5.1%	1,040
7	Minnesota	$61,040	$58,990	$29	+3.4%	580
8	Wisconsin	$60,590	$62,700	$29	+2.6%	620
9	Vermont	$60,430	$54,160	$29	+2.3%	50
10	Nevada	$60,220	$54,230	$29	+2%	750
11	Oregon	$60,180	$55,910	$29	+1.9%	2,530
12	South Dakota	$60,160	$54,770	$29	+1.9%	350
13	Arizona	$59,980	$56,660	$29	+1.6%	1,310
14	New York	$59,980	$58,030	$29	+1.6%	190
15	Washington	$59,950	$54,160	$29	+1.5%	1,160
16	Wyoming	$59,880	$53,290	$29	+1.4%	560
17	Pennsylvania	$59,770	$57,370	$29	+1.2%	420
18	Idaho	$59,640	$53,290	$29	+1%	2,020
19	South Carolina	$59,070	$55,910	$28	+0%	180
20	New Mexico	$58,890	$53,000	$28	-0.3%	880
21	Montana	$58,870	$52,420	$28	-0.3%	1,760
22	Massachusetts	$58,660	$56,480	$28	-0.7%	—
23	Nebraska	$58,130	$51,630	$28	-1.6%	100
24	Oklahoma	$57,650	$53,930	$28	-2.4%	130
25	Alabama	$57,630	$56,720	$28	-2.4%	180
26	West Virginia	$57,630	$54,600	$28	-2.4%	100
27	Arkansas	$57,080	$53,290	$27	-3.4%	310
28	New Hampshire	$57,010	$51,630	$27	-3.5%	60
29	Mississippi	$55,760	$52,420	$27	-5.6%	250
30	Florida	$55,350	$52,420	$27	-6.3%	380
31	Georgia	$55,080	$50,710	$26	-6.7%	230
32	Illinois	$55,010	$52,790	$26	-6.9%	820
33	Texas	$54,550	$52,200	$26	-7.6%	600
34	Virginia	$53,270	$49,960	$26	-9.8%	380
35	Indiana	$52,860	$48,660	$25	-10.5%	150
36	Hawaii	$52,780	$50,040	$25	-10.6%	140
37	Iowa	$52,700	$52,000	$25	-10.8%	380
38	Utah	$51,930	$47,940	$25	-12.1%	1,140
39	Tennessee	$51,720	$47,940	$25	-12.4%	390
40	North Carolina	$51,660	$48,360	$25	-12.5%	650
41	Michigan	$50,570	$45,760	$24	-14.4%	560
42	Ohio	$50,020	$48,840	$24	-15.3%	230
43	Kentucky	$48,670	$43,660	$23	-17.6%	240
44	Kansas	$46,730	$41,660	$22	-20.9%	170
45	Missouri	$42,900	$33,920	$21	-27.4%	600

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 177 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Baton Rouge, LA	$87,500	$76,770	50
2	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$74,410	$77,010	90
3	East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	$68,600	$67,360	90
4	Carson City, NV	$67,040	$70,640	160
5	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$66,930	$66,470	100
6	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$65,690	$65,620	150
7	Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$65,670	$67,770	30
8	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	$64,940	$67,940	50
9	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$64,440	$66,270	130
10	Asheville, NC	$64,000	$65,450	40

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing forest and conservation technicianss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Hydroelectric Power Generation	$108,350	$98,710	100
2	Utilities	$106,290	$100,170	390
3	Sector 22 - Utilities	$106,290	$100,170	390
4	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	$104,740	$95,660	—
5	Engineering Services	$74,920	$68,360	—
6	Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$57,100	$61,670	20,220
7	Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$57,100	$61,670	20,220
8	Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$54,950	$59,060	27,750
9	Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS	$54,950	$59,060	27,750
10	Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$54,910	$59,000	28,090
11	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$54,560	$59,060	30,410
12	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$54,060	$55,290	320

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do forest and conservation technicians make in the U.S.?

The median forest and conservation technicians salary in the United States is $54,560 per year (mean $59,060), and about 80% earn between $40,330 and $83,630.

How much do forest and conservation technicians make per hour?

Roughly $28 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $59,060 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays forest and conservation technicians the most?

Alaska has the highest average pay for forest and conservation technicians at $71,560 per year (median $68,160).

What is the job outlook for forest and conservation technicians?

Employment is projected to change -3.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 3,900 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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