occupation · 19-1031 · detailed
Conservation Scientists — wages and employment
Conservation Scientists earned a median annual wage of $67,950 in the United States in May 2024, with 25,590 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Conservation Scientists earned a median annual wage of $67,950 in the United States in May 2024, with 25,590 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $45,260 or less, the best-paid tenth $107,720 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $68,750 to $67,950, -1.2 %. The best-paying state is Oregon at $86,170; the lowest Kansas at $45,880. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $105,680. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 25,590 | $67,950 | $74,310 | $45,260 | $53,190 | $87,980 | $107,720 | $32.67 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 22,790 | $68,750 | $73,160 | $42,850 | $53,000 | $87,460 | $105,460 | $33.05 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $86,170 | 880 |
| California | $81,620 | 1,940 |
| Washington | $81,220 | 940 |
| Colorado | $80,240 | 1,220 |
| North Dakota | $79,790 | 260 |
| Nevada | $79,790 | 170 |
| Connecticut | $77,410 | 80 |
| Utah | $77,380 | 300 |
| Minnesota | $77,180 | 690 |
| Wyoming | $77,020 | 170 |
| Massachusetts | $76,750 | 730 |
| Alabama | $76,270 | 110 |
| Arizona | $76,100 | 360 |
| Wisconsin | $75,940 | 1,010 |
| Alaska | $75,470 | 320 |
| Maryland | $75,350 | 610 |
| Tennessee | $74,960 | 200 |
| Nebraska | $74,960 | 220 |
| Montana | $74,900 | 440 |
| Idaho | $72,550 | 290 |
| Arkansas | $72,550 | 180 |
| Illinois | $72,550 | 730 |
| South Dakota | $72,550 | 400 |
| New Mexico | $72,490 | 390 |
| West Virginia | $68,390 | 140 |
| Georgia | $67,950 | 300 |
| New Hampshire | $67,720 | 150 |
| Virginia | $67,200 | 720 |
| New York | $65,550 | 750 |
| Texas | $65,170 | 2,070 |
| Maine | $64,990 | 280 |
| Iowa | $64,010 | 590 |
| Kentucky | $63,960 | 180 |
| Puerto Rico | $63,960 | 60 |
| Indiana | $62,880 | 430 |
| Oklahoma | $61,960 | 290 |
| Vermont | $61,880 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $61,820 | 570 |
| Michigan | $61,010 | 630 |
| Missouri | $60,900 | 520 |
| New Jersey | $60,430 | 530 |
| Ohio | $59,780 | 700 |
| Louisiana | $58,480 | 240 |
| Mississippi | $56,980 | 480 |
| Delaware | $55,990 | 60 |
| South Carolina | $54,220 | 320 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,110 | 1,410 |
| Florida | $52,820 | 720 |
| Hawaii | $46,580 | 210 |
| Kansas | $45,880 | 460 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $105,680 | 80 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $98,930 | 340 |
| Salem, OR | $98,050 | 90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $96,260 | 370 |
| Bend, OR | $94,310 | 80 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $91,770 | 90 |
| Medford, OR | $87,050 | 30 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $86,730 | 30 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $85,820 | 40 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $85,090 | 240 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $83,220 | 170 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | $83,120 | 50 |
| Corvallis, OR | $82,950 | 70 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $82,890 | 250 |
| Boulder, CO | $82,080 | 70 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $81,950 | 50 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $81,640 | 600 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $81,280 | 140 |
| Bozeman, MT | $81,220 | 60 |
| Madison, WI | $81,120 | 270 |
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