Forest and conservation workers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Forest and conservation workers in the United States earn a median salary of $43,680 per year — about $21 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 11K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -5%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core duties of this occupation are highly physical and performed in unpredictable outdoor environments, such as planting seedlings, clearing brush, and suppressing forest fires. While AI and remote sensing can assist with peripheral tasks like tree counting and health monitoring, the primary labor-intensive functions cannot be automated by digital AI systems.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City, SDBEST VALUE | $50,110 | Below avg (89.2) | $56,202 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $52,850 | Below avg (96.9) | $54,520 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $51,330 | Below avg (94.7) | $54,219 |
| Cleveland, OH | $48,470 | Below avg (93.9) | $51,606 |
| Columbus, OH | $47,730 | Below avg (95.5) | $49,995 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $51,300 | Above avg (108.3) | $47,383 |
| Knoxville, TN | $40,320 | Below avg (92.6) | $43,557 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $37,470 | Below avg (90.6) | $41,343 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $43,680 | Above avg (106.4) | $41,036 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $45,510 | Above avg (111.1) | $40,951 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $43,680 | Above avg (106.7) | $40,949 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $45,530 | Above avg (112.6) | $40,448 |
| Salinas, CA | $43,680 | Above avg (109.0) | $40,058 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $43,680 | Above avg (110.5) | $39,517 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $41,610 | Above avg (105.4) | $39,470 |