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The national median salary for Foresters is $70,658 per year ($33.97/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $58,802 and $85,446 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $103,210 per year. There are approximately 9,650 foresters employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.2%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
14K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
3K
$66,000
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
1K
$74,960
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
1K
$71,490
Logging
NAICS 113300
620
$75,450
Sawmills and Wood Preservation
NAICS 321100
580
$77,860
Wage range across top 5 industries: $66,000 to $77,860 (18% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$23.68
$49,254
P25
$28.27
$58,802
P50MEDIAN
$33.97
$70,658
P75
$41.08
$85,446
P90
$49.62
$103,210
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average foresters salary?
The national median salary for Foresters is $70,658 per year ($33.97/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $58,802 and $85,446 annually.
How much do top-earning foresters make?
The 90th percentile salary for Foresters is $103,210 per year ($49.62/hr). The 75th percentile is $85,446 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for foresters?
Entry-level Foresters (10th percentile) earn approximately $49,254 per year ($23.68/hr). The 25th percentile is $58,802 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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