Ecologist vs field naturalist

The differences between ecologists and field naturalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an ecologist and a field naturalist. Additionally, an ecologist has an average salary of $50,369, which is higher than the $38,213 average annual salary of a field naturalist.

The top three skills for an ecologist include data collection, GPS and GIS. The most important skills for a field naturalist are social science, native plants, and .

Ecologist vs field naturalist overview

	Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Yearly salary	$50,369	$38,213
Hourly rate	$24.22	$18.37
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	7,026	44,776
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Ecologist vs field naturalist salary

Ecologists and field naturalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Average salary	$50,369	$38,213
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $76,000	Between $22,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Volkert	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between ecologist and field naturalist education

There are a few differences between an ecologist and a field naturalist in terms of educational background:

	Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common major	Biology	Environmental Science
Most common college	University of California - Davis	University of California - Davis

Ecologist vs field naturalist demographics

Here are the differences between ecologists' and field naturalists' demographics:

	Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5%	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between ecologist and field naturalist duties and responsibilities

Ecologist example responsibilities.

Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Perform surveys for target species including vascular and non-vascular plants, fungi, and lichens using BLM and USFS protocols.
Issue gas and oil drilling permits on BLM land.
Record and monitor nest locations using a marker system and GPS.
Navigate through surrounding desert and massive mountain ranges using GPS and aerial topographic maps.
Help with park events and or activities, occasionally put on patrol for the park

Field naturalist example responsibilities.

Lead tour groups on both bicycles and kayaks, man small retail/rental outlet as only staff person.
Handle an assortment of animals, such as rats and snakes.
Establish and maintain appropriate systems to monitor, evaluate and report on all operational activities including logistics and program implementation.
Advise area NGOs on policy implications base on preliminary research findings.

Ecologist vs field naturalist skills

Common ecologist skills

Data Collection, 10%
GPS, 10%
GIS, 6%
Technical Reports, 6%
Data Management, 5%
Data Entry, 5%

Common field naturalist skills

Social Science, 86%
Native Plants, 14%

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Ecologist vs Field Naturalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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