Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

45-4011 Forest and Conservation Workers

Under supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect forest, forested areas, and woodlands through such activities as raising and transporting tree seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to trees; and building erosion and water control structures and leaching of forest soil. Include forester aides, seedling pullers, and tree planters.

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)
9,170 2.9 % $11.24 $23,380 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.00 $7.73 $9.58 $13.52 $18.45
Annual Wage (2) $14,570 $16,080 $19,930 $28,110 $38,380

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) 4,930 $9.51 $19,790 1 8
Local government (OES designation) 2,210 $14.22 $29,580 2 5
Services to buildings and dwellings 300 $9.72 $20,220 3 7
Management and technical consulting services 230 $11.38 $23,660 4 6
Logging 190 $15.24 $31,700 5 3

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Electronic markets and agents and brokers (6) $16.21 $33,720 (6) 1
Sawmills and wood preservation 140 $15.69 $32,630 6 2
Logging 190 $15.24 $31,700 5 3
Scientific research and development services 40 $14.33 $29,810 7 4
Local government (OES designation) 2,210 $14.22 $29,580 2 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
Mississippi 590 $11.00 $22,880 0.054% 493
South Dakota 120 $10.72 $22,300 0.034% 370
Maryland 510 $9.34 $19,420 0.021% 653
Montana 80 $11.78 $24,510 0.020% 404
Iowa 270 $11.87 $24,690 0.019% 500

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Massachusetts 170 $18.42 $38,310 0.005% 367
Missouri 40 $16.91 $35,180 0.002% 336
Pennsylvania 190 $16.73 $34,790 0.003% 376
Michigan 150 $16.72 $34,780 0.003% 402
North Carolina 50 $16.27 $33,840 0.001% 327

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
Redding, CA MSA 120 $11.30 $23,500 0.188%
Chico-Paradise, CA MSA 80 $9.23 $19,190 0.112%
Sacramento, CA PMSA 360 $9.80 $20,380 0.048%
Baltimore, MD PMSA 410 $8.78 $18,270 0.034%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA 100 $10.27 $21,360 0.008%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI PMSA 30 $16.68 $34,690 0.004%
Denver, CO PMSA 50 $14.52 $30,200 0.004%
Chicago, IL PMSA 200 $14.17 $29,470 0.005%
Orlando, FL MSA (6) $12.90 $26,830 (6)
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI MSA (6) $11.96 $24,870 (6)

About May 2003 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004