Foresters: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-1032 · O*NET 19-1032.00
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.
Foresters fall under the Life, Physical, and Social Science category in the U.S. occupational classification. Foresters earn a median salary of $70,660 per year, ranking in the top 33% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +1.2% job growth through 2034, projected to grow slower than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do foresters earn?
The median annual wage for foresters is $70,660. That puts foresters at #266 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $49,240 |
| 25th percentile | $58,810 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $70,660 |
| 75th percentile | $85,450 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $103,220 |
| Median hourly wage | $33.97/hr |
Is foresters a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for foresters is +1.2%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 13K positions in 2024 to 14K in 2034, a net change of 1K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do foresters do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working foresters, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
- 2.Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
- 3.Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
- 4.Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries.
- 5.Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use.
- 6.Choose and prepare sites for new trees, using controlled burning, bulldozers, or herbicides to clear weeds, brush, and logging debris.
- 7.Supervise activities of other forestry workers.
- 8.Plan and direct forest surveys and related studies and prepare reports and recommendations.
Top skills for foresters
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become forester?
The standard path into foresters begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about foresters
What is the median salary for foresters?
The median annual salary for foresters is $70,660 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is foresters a growing career?
BLS projects +1.2% growth for foresters from 2024 through 2034, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become forester?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to foresters?
Related occupations within the Life, Physical, and Social Science category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.