Yearly Monthly Biweekly Weekly Hourly
Average base salary, New York
$82,500 / year
≈ $6,900 per month · $39.66 per hour
Location United States (national) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Or metro area Metro area… Alaska nonmetropolitan area Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Birmingham, AL Boise City, ID Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area Coeur d'Alene, ID Columbia, SC Columbus, OH Corvallis, OR Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Duluth, MN-WI East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area Eugene-Springfield, OR Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Fresno, CA Gainesville, FL Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Jacksonville, FL Lansing-East Lansing, MI Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Longview-Kelso, WA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Madison, WI Medford, OR Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Oklahoma City, OK Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Raleigh-Cary, NC Rapid City, SD Reno, NV Richmond, VA Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Salem, OR San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area South Georgia nonmetropolitan area Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area Southern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA St. Louis, MO-IL Tallahassee, FL Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area West Montana nonmetropolitan area West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Western Washington nonmetropolitan area Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area BLS May 2025 state data for New York · median $76,500
25th percentile$72,000 Average$82,500 75th percentile$85,500
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
What Foresters do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality.
Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
Top skills: Active Listening Speaking Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking Complex Problem Solving Writing
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Forester salary by industry
Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS
6,140 workers
$78,500 State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
3,690 workers
$75,500 Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
1,420 workers
$82,000 Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)
1,390 workers
$80,000 Utilities
910 workers
$107,000 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
680 workers
$71,500 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
650 workers
$84,500 Sectors 31, 32, and 33 – Manufacturing
600 workers
$87,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Similar-paying roles in Life, Physical, and Social Science
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Forester make?
The average base salary for a Forester in the United States is $82,000 per year, or about $39.42 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $65,000 and $95,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Life, Physical, and Social Science roles?
The Life, Physical, and Social Science job family averages $100,000 across 48 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
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