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Best states for a forest technician
Quoted expert
Colleen Robinson
- Rank 1 - 10
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It seems like forest technicians are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for forest technicians aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of forest technicians in America is $48,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for forest technicians. Wyoming is the best state for forest technicians, where the median salary is $39,932.We found that the Midwest is best for forest technicians, and the Northeast is the worst. Birmingham, AL is the best city in the country for forest technician jobs, where as Wyoming is the best state in the country.
10 best states for forest technicians in 2026
1. Wyoming
Total forest technician jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $39,932 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 4.13
2. Alaska
Total forest technician jobs: 84 Average annual salary: $53,174 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
3. Maine
Total forest technician jobs: 151 Average annual salary: $38,884 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
4. North Carolina
Total forest technician jobs: 661 Average annual salary: $39,455 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
5. Vermont
Total forest technician jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $39,856 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
6. Nevada
Total forest technician jobs: 173 Average annual salary: $38,915 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
7. Mississippi
Total forest technician jobs: 139 Average annual salary: $39,045 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
8. New Hampshire
Total forest technician jobs: 100 Average annual salary: $39,967 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
9. Rhode Island
Total forest technician jobs: 62 Average annual salary: $40,015 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
10. New Jersey
Total forest technician jobs: 486 Average annual salary: $40,784 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
Forest technician jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a forest technician
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a forest technician
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $39,932 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 155 |
| 2 | Alaska | $53,174 | $36,000 | 739,795 | 84 |
| 3 | Maine | $38,884 | $29,000 | 1,335,907 | 151 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $39,455 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 661 |
| 5 | Vermont | $39,856 | $29,000 | 623,657 | 56 |
| 6 | Nevada | $38,915 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 173 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $39,045 | $29,000 | 2,984,100 | 139 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $39,967 | $29,000 | 1,342,795 | 100 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $40,015 | $29,000 | 1,059,639 | 62 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $40,784 | $29,000 | 9,005,644 | 486 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $39,795 | $28,000 | 3,588,184 | 226 |
| 12 | Alabama | $38,802 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 248 |
| 13 | Idaho | $37,216 | $26,000 | 1,716,943 | 417 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $40,030 | $29,000 | 6,859,819 | 530 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $36,022 | $27,000 | 1,815,857 | 105 |
| 16 | Virginia | $40,949 | $30,000 | 8,470,020 | 439 |
| 17 | Arizona | $36,933 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 459 |
| 18 | Delaware | $38,079 | $28,000 | 961,939 | 74 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $35,448 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 86 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $37,813 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 38 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $35,692 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 210 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $37,541 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 541 |
| 23 | Montana | $35,639 | $25,000 | 1,050,493 | 357 |
| 24 | Colorado | $36,132 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 610 |
| 25 | Michigan | $36,986 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 428 |
| 26 | Indiana | $36,220 | $27,000 | 6,666,818 | 360 |
| 27 | Ohio | $36,397 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 448 |
| 28 | Washington | $37,874 | $26,000 | 7,405,743 | 407 |
| 29 | California | $39,095 | $28,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,587 |
| 30 | New York | $36,904 | $26,000 | 19,849,399 | 834 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $35,012 | $26,000 | 4,454,189 | 217 |
| 32 | Utah | $33,794 | $24,000 | 3,101,833 | 331 |
| 33 | Oregon | $33,644 | $23,000 | 4,142,776 | 534 |
| 34 | Florida | $34,780 | $26,000 | 20,984,400 | 999 |
| 35 | Missouri | $34,144 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 404 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $33,890 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 158 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $33,815 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 332 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $33,985 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 179 |
| 39 | Georgia | $33,670 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 610 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $37,399 | $27,000 | 693,972 | 25 |
| 41 | Maryland | $35,582 | $26,000 | 6,052,177 | 329 |
| 42 | Texas | $33,855 | $25,000 | 28,304,596 | 865 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $33,564 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 149 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $31,302 | $23,000 | 5,576,606 | 425 |
| 45 | Iowa | $30,623 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 216 |
| 46 | Illinois | $31,041 | $23,000 | 12,802,023 | 745 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $34,328 | $27,000 | 1,427,538 | 35 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $30,086 | $22,000 | 1,920,076 | 141 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $31,085 | $23,000 | 5,795,483 | 308 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $28,827 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 302 |
| 51 | Kansas | $29,644 | $22,000 | 2,913,123 | 151 |
Highest paying states for forest technicians
| Rank | State | Avg. Forest Technician Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $39,932 |
| 2 | Alaska | $53,174 |
| 3 | Maine | $38,884 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $39,455 |
| 5 | Vermont | $39,856 |
| 6 | Nevada | $38,915 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $39,045 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $39,967 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $40,015 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $40,784 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $39,795 |
| 12 | Alabama | $38,802 |
| 13 | Idaho | $37,216 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $40,030 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $36,022 |
| 16 | Virginia | $40,949 |
| 17 | Arizona | $36,933 |
| 18 | Delaware | $38,079 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $35,448 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $37,813 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $35,692 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $37,541 |
| 23 | Montana | $35,639 |
| 24 | Colorado | $36,132 |
| 25 | Michigan | $36,986 |
| 26 | Indiana | $36,220 |
| 27 | Ohio | $36,397 |
| 28 | Washington | $37,874 |
| 29 | California | $39,095 |
| 30 | New York | $36,904 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $35,012 |
| 32 | Utah | $33,794 |
| 33 | Oregon | $33,644 |
| 34 | Florida | $34,780 |
| 35 | Missouri | $34,144 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $33,890 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $33,815 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $33,985 |
| 39 | Georgia | $33,670 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $37,399 |
| 41 | Maryland | $35,582 |
| 42 | Texas | $33,855 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $33,564 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $31,302 |
| 45 | Iowa | $30,623 |
| 46 | Illinois | $31,041 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $34,328 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $30,086 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $31,085 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $28,827 |
| 51 | Kansas | $29,644 |
Expert opinions on the best states for forest technicians
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for forest technicians to find work opportunities?
Colleen Robinson
Communications Coordinator, The Forest Stewards Guild
As for good places to find work opportunities, I'd say students should subscribe to e-newsletters with organizations they believe in, such as Forest Stewards Guild, and also pay attention to who is showing up at job fairs, etc with internship opportunities when they are still in school and follow up with them after graduation too. So many places offer job posts with a collection of opportunities to learn about. It somewhat depends on if they are interested in NGOs, government agency work, industry, etc. too. As far as geography, I think forestry is everywhere, in one sense or another. Forestry in New Mexico looks different than it does in upstate New York, but its still forestry.
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Updated January 8, 2025