Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Associate's degree
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These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
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Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
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Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Forest and conservation technicians work in a specialized field that combines science, hands-on work, and project coordination. With national employment of 34,000, this career supports a moderate-sized workforce focused on forest and conservation activities. The national median annual salary of $54,310 places this occupation in a solid earning range for technicians, with additional variation depending on state and metro location. Projected employment growth of -3.2% indicates a slight decline over time, but there are still 4,000 annual openings, suggesting ongoing replacement and movement within the field. The role typically requires an associate's degree, making it accessible to students who want a postsecondary credential without committing to a four-year program. Successful forest and conservation technicians draw on a broad skill set that includes science, physical strength and stamina, project management, leadership, mechanical ability, and problem solving, along with mathematics and interpersonal skills. For people interested in related paths, similar occupations include several types of first-line supervisors and forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists.
The national median annual salary for forest and conservation technicians is $54,310, with earnings differing across states and metro areas. Among the top states by opportunity score, California and New York both stand out with median salaries close to $58,000, while Colorado and Washington are slightly lower but still near the national median. Virginia’s median of $49,960 is modestly below these other leading states. At the metro level, several areas show higher salary potential. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro reports a median salary of $66,930, and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA reports $62,400. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ also offer median salaries above $60,000. These figures suggest that technicians willing to work in certain metro areas may access higher earnings, while statewide medians give a broader view of typical pay in those regions.
Forest and conservation technicians have national employment of 34,000, reflecting a stable though not large occupational group. Projected employment growth is -3.2%, indicating that overall employment is expected to decline somewhat over the projection period. Despite this negative growth rate, there are still 4,000 annual openings, which points to continuing opportunities from turnover, retirements, and career changes. This combination means that while the total number of positions may decrease, individuals entering the field can still find openings, particularly if they are flexible about geography. The consistent -3.2% projected growth rate seen at both the national and state or metro levels provided suggests a generally similar pattern across regions. For career planners, this outlook emphasizes the importance of understanding local conditions, monitoring openings, and considering related roles such as first-line supervisors in landscaping, farming, fishing, forestry, transportation, construction, or forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists.
Location plays a significant role in the career landscape for forest and conservation technicians. Among states with the highest CareerGPS opportunity scores, California ranks at the top with an opportunity score of 67.38, a median salary of $58,120, and employment of 6,640, indicating a relatively large concentration of jobs. New York has a similar median salary of $58,030 but much smaller employment at 190. Colorado and Washington offer median salaries around the mid-$50,000 range with employment of 1,040 and 1,160 respectively, while Virginia shows a lower median salary of $49,960 and employment of 380. At the metro level, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ areas hold the highest opportunity scores (above 77), though with relatively small employment counts. Several California metros—San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim—combine higher salaries with stronger opportunity scores. These differences suggest that both state-level and metro-level conditions can meaningfully shape job availability and compensation.
Forest and conservation technicians typically need an associate's degree, which positions this career as accessible to people seeking a focused, two-year postsecondary pathway. This level of education supports the scientific and technical aspects of the work without requiring a four-year degree. The skill profile for this occupation is broad, combining academic, technical, and physical capabilities. Science and mathematics form an important foundation, supporting data-driven thinking and quantitative problem solving. Physical strength and stamina, along with fine motor skills and mechanical abilities, are also important, reflecting the hands-on and physically active aspects of the role. Project management and leadership skills indicate a need to organize tasks and coordinate with others, while interpersonal and customer service skills highlight the importance of working effectively with colleagues, stakeholders, or the public. Problem solving and decision making cut across all of these areas, helping technicians respond effectively to the varied situations they may encounter in forest and conservation settings.
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