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The national median salary for Foresters is $76,398 per year ($36.73/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $62,712 and $91,645 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $109,699 per year. There are approximately 10,430 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
$69,620
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
1K
$76,400
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
1K
$75,040
Logging
NAICS 113300
650
$79,980
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
560
$55,750
Wage range across top 5 industries: $55,750 to $79,980 (43% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$24.42
$50,794
P25
$30.15
$62,712
P50MEDIAN
$36.73
$76,398
P75
$44.06
$91,645
P90
$52.74
$109,699
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 $76,398 per year ($36.73/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $62,712 and $91,645 annually.
How much do top-earning foresters make?
The 90th percentile salary for Foresters is $109,699 per year ($52.74/hr). The 75th percentile is $91,645 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for foresters?
Entry-level Foresters (10th percentile) earn approximately $50,794 per year ($24.42/hr). The 25th percentile is $62,712 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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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