Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

19-1032 Foresters

Manage 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 the best time for harvesting. Develop forest management plans for public and privately-owned forested lands.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
9,760 1.9 % $23.11 $48,060 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.27 $17.47 $22.47 $27.35 $33.46
Annual Wage (2) $29,690 $36,330 $46,730 $56,890 $69,600

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
State government (OES designation) 2,950 $21.27 $44,250 1 10
Federal government (OES designation) 2,630 $26.98 $56,120 2 3
Local government (OES designation) 1,080 $20.71 $43,080 3 12
Sawmills and wood preservation 900 $22.57 $46,940 4 7
Logging 400 $21.32 $44,350 5 8

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Power generation and supply 120 $29.57 $61,520 12 1
Management of companies and enterprises 180 $27.32 $56,820 7 2
Federal government (OES designation) 2,630 $26.98 $56,120 2 3
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills 190 $25.08 $52,160 6 4
Plywood and engineered wood product mfg. 150 $24.76 $51,500 9 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Montana 360 $24.32 $50,580 0.092% 72
Oregon 740 $26.27 $54,650 0.048% 96
Idaho 240 $22.54 $46,870 0.042% 95
Alaska 120 $28.76 $59,820 0.042% 75
South Dakota 120 $19.20 $39,930 0.033% 126

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 120 $28.76 $59,820 0.042% 75
Pennsylvania 300 $27.86 $57,940 0.005% 105
Oregon 740 $26.27 $54,650 0.048% 96
Colorado 190 $25.79 $53,630 0.009% 124
California 790 $25.67 $53,390 0.005% 204

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Missoula, MT MSA 80 $29.24 $60,810 0.150%
Corvallis, OR MSA 40 $27.67 $57,540 0.121%
Medford-Ashland, OR MSA 80 $25.24 $52,510 0.108%
Redding, CA MSA 50 $29.05 $60,430 0.077%
Olympia, WA PMSA 60 $24.97 $51,930 0.070%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 60 $39.56 $82,290 0.002%
Denver, CO PMSA 40 $31.36 $65,220 0.004%
Atlanta, GA MSA 60 $30.28 $62,980 0.003%
Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA PMSA 140 $29.80 $61,990 0.015%
Missoula, MT MSA 80 $29.24 $60,810 0.150%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

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2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003