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Job outlook for natural resource managers in the United States
Are natural resource manager jobs in demand?
Natural resource manager job and salary trends over time
Natural resource manager jobs over time
Natural resource manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 224 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 219 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 219 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 220 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 219 | 0.00% |
Average natural resource manager salary over time
Natural resource manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $72,463 | $34.84 | +2.2% |
| 2025 | $70,923 | $34.10 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $69,395 | $33.36 | --0.3% |
| 2023 | $69,588 | $33.46 | --0.5% |
| 2022 | $69,961 | $33.64 | +1.1% |
Natural resource manager jobs by state
Most common states for natural resource managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 90 | 13% |
| 2 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 41 | 7% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 45 | 6% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 33 | 5% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 314 | 4% |
| 6 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 44 | 4% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 33 | 4% |
| 8 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 203 | 3% |
| 9 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 89 | 3% |
| 10 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 75 | 3% |
| 11 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 65 | 3% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 51 | 3% |
| 13 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 35 | 3% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 32 | 3% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 30 | 3% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 229 | 2% |
| 17 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 97 | 2% |
| 18 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 79 | 2% |
| 19 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 44 | 2% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 15 | 2% |
Most common cities for natural resource managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walla Walla | 1 | 3% | $75,055 |
| 2 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $71,625 |
| 3 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $70,708 |
| 4 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $76,022 |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $107,313 |
| 6 | Minneapolis | 1 | 0% | $86,925 |
| 7 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $110,335 |
| 8 | Tampa | 1 | 0% | $67,096 |
Natural Resource Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of natural resource manager experts
Kansas State University
Florida International University
North Carolina State University
Hawaii Pacific University
Florida Southern College
Michigan State University
Humboldt State University
Michigan State University
University of Guam
Yale University
Castleton University
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Dr. Lincoln Larson Ph.D.: The most important skills in natural resource management are communication skills (both speaking and writing), and that's unlikely to change at any point in the future. There's a common misunderstanding that natural resource management professions don't involve people, but humans are both the cause and the solution to every natural resource management challenge we face today - from climate change to human-wildlife conflict. If you can't effectively communicate with diverse audiences including scientists, practitioners, policy-makers, and the general public, you will struggle. Honing those communication skills earlier and often is the key to a successful career. Another skill that is increasingly important is data management and analysis, especially GIS and spatial data.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Lincoln Larson Ph.D.: Natural resource management is an applied field, so gaining real-world experience is critical. Try out a few temporary jobs or internships to get a better sense of what you enjoy doing. Whether it's field work, analysis and reporting, outreach and engagement, or something else, you might not discover your strengths and preferences until you get your feet wet or get your boots muddy. Be flexible. Your dream job is unlikely to emerge right away, but gaining experience in a variety of places/contexts and building a professional network of connections will ultimately help you find it. Embrace the unexpected, as that's one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of working outdoors.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Lincoln Larson Ph.D.: Few people enter the field of natural resource management for the money, but if you want to earn more in this field, it's important to think about when/how to pursue an advanced degree (e.g., MS or PhD). That increases your potential for upward mobility within an agency or organization. Building leadership skills, including communication, is also important. Many natural resource professionals are not trained to interact with and lead people, but those are the skills required in a managerial role. Taking courses or adding a minor in a field like parks, recreation and tourism management can help build skills in these areas.
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Nathan Hendricks: Look for a position that has opportunities for upward mobility.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nathan Hendricks: Data analytics and interdisciplinary training will become increasingly important. Decisions are increasingly being informed by data and natural resource management requires knowledge across a broad range of disciplines.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Nathan Hendricks: This field is constantly evolving, so keep looking for opportunities to learn and grow.
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Dr. Krishnaswamy Jayachandran: Suggestion to pursue advanced graduate education to keep up with the specialized areas such as GIS, Remote Sensing, Environmental Law, Sustainable Resources Management. Make use of the internship opportunities or volunteer opportunities will be helpful to maximize your monetary benefits such as salaries. Networking with professionals in this field and keeping track of salary trends in the area will be helpful to maximize earnings. Develop leadership skills, communication skills, be proactive in career advancement and professional developmental activities will increase your earning potential.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Krishnaswamy Jayachandran: Natural Resources Management is a broader field. Natural Resource Conservation Service is one of the largest agencies in the USDA providing career job opportunities. US Forest Service Agency is another one to explore career opportunities. There are few things I would suggest - gain experiential and experimental skills through internships, network with professionals in the field, increase knowledge through advanced graduate education, keep open minded to learning, focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship in your work.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Krishnaswamy Jayachandran: Climate change adaptation, Sustainable Practices, and ecosystem management skills will be critical. GIS, Remote Sensing, data analysis and interpretation of datasets are important in the future as technology advances day by day, the data driven decision making and the policies will play a major role in Natural Resources Management. I would suggest continuing to develop strong communication skills both written and verbal will be important to tell the stories in the form of Science Communication to stakeholders and a diverse group of audience.
Frederick Cubbage
ProfessorNorth Carolina State University
Environmental/Natural Resources Management And Policy
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Frederick Cubbage: We always have more people and more pressure on our scarce natural resources, and this creates threats of those resources losing their functions and values, or even being converted thoughtlessly to more developed uses, and innate benefits to humans and society.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Frederick Cubbage: People who either want to work outside and fulfill their passion for natural systems and environments and often are attracted to natural resources.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Frederick Cubbage: Natural resource graduates at the undergraduate or graduate level may perform jobs that range from intensive field work to a mix of management and field work to more human dimensions of natural resources.
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Charles Martin PhD: A career in Natural Resources Management can seem like a daunting task at first, but preparation is key. Our MS program at the University of South Alabama in Marine Conservation and Resource Management emphasizes relevant coursework, the development of technical and applied skills, and networking opportunities through internships and professional meetings. We’ve found this to dramatically enhance a student's success in joining a workforce immediately out of a graduate degree and have a near-100% placement after graduating from our program.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Charles Martin PhD: Marketable skills are critical for finding the right job. We offer several certifications in our MS degree that make our students’ resumes stand out in the crowd - including GIS training and quantitative skills. Prospective employees that can work with large datasets, analyze them, and communicate results always have a leg up on the competition. These skills will be imperative over the next 3-5 years and even beyond that.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Charles Martin PhD: The key starting out is not staying in graduate school longer than necessary. Our MS in Marine Conservation and Resource Management is designed so that students are in and graduated within two years. The faster a student gets into the workforce, the better their long-term salary prospects are.
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Brenden Holland: For professional biologists starting out in this career, field-work often takes up a substantial portion of most days. As a field technician, staff will engage in a wide variety of important tasks, ranging from physical removal of invasive weeds and planting beneficial vegetation, use instrumentation to measure, document and monitor environmental parameters such as point source pollution in waterways, conducting surveys of the spread of invasive plants and animals, observing and documenting endangered species movement and behavior, and even assisting in field rescue of injured or stranded wildlife. In many cases these jobs will take place in beautiful natural reserves and areas of concern such as state and national parks. The job will often entail office and laboratory tasks as well, including data entry and analysis, writing reports, and technical tasks such a use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software to record spatial information and possibly use of chemical, genetic and taxonomic analyses in the lab.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brenden Holland: Professional Resource Managers can enjoy a sense of gratification that accompanies careers that focus on 'making a difference'. Namely, striving for the overarching objectives of understanding causes of environmental challenges, and doing something about this damage, by improving and restoring our natural ecosystems for future generations. There is a somewhat pervasive feeling of helplessness in our society in the face of many large-scale challenges that are incessantly portrayed in the media. But the sense of satisfaction that comes from engaging in work that seeks positive change is a definite perk. The only associated negative aspect I am aware of in this field is two-fold, on the one hand, the lack of public awareness of the dire consequences of 'business as usual' in terms of environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity; and the lack of sufficient resources and available funding for science-based solutions to address these challenges can be frustrating!
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Brenden Holland: This is an industry that is undergoing massive growth, and there is an unprecedented need for expansion of this workforce. There is broad consensus that environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity on a global scale has reached a crisis point. One term used for the era we are living in is the Anthropocene, defining our current geological age as an era where human activity is having an unprecedented, massive impact on climate and the environment. Now is the best time in history to enter this field!
Dr. Melissa Price
Associate ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Dr. Melissa Price: If you can identify a need and start a nonprofit or for profit business to fill that need, there is huge salary potential. For example, in natural resource management much of the work is contracted out to various sectors. If you live in a rural or remote island area such as Hawai'i, many of these contractors need to be flown in from outside the area, dramatically increasing costs. If you can develop a local business model to meet these needs, you essentially will have a corner on the market. Examples include heavy machinery, genetic analysis services, water testing services, certification training, decision analysis and facilitation, native plant nurseries, biosecurity, and helicopter services for transportation and materials delivery to remote work sites. Any preparation that demonstrates capacity for leadership positions will help you obtain positions beyond entry level technicians. Specialized skills will also help you negotiate salaries. While a solid understanding of the scientific aspects of the job are important, many higher level positions require an understanding of project management. Coursework or internships that include use of spreadsheets, preparation of reports, or team management will demonstrate that you can quickly move into project management positions.
What Natural Resource Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Melissa Price: Basic field skills will always be in high demand and will help you obtain entry level positions. For example, bird banding, herbicide, chainsaw, and wildfire certifications are often items that employers need to train you in immediately after hire. Thus, candidates who already have these certifications save employers time and money up front. Further, if you develop these skills to a level where you are certified to train others, you will be in particularly high demand. 'Soft skill' development such as writing skills, verbal communication, visual presentations, graphics, team-building, and networking are critical to solving the challenging problems we face in natural resource management. In particular, seek out training in the field of 'Decision Analysis', to prepare you for making challenging decisions in the face of uncertainty.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Melissa Price: As the human population grows from 8 billion to 12 billion people during your lifetime, your choice of working in the natural resource management sector will be in high demand and critical to thriving communities. Given the high needs in this area, creative integration of your passions and skills will be particularly helpful in driving innovation in this field. More than ever, we need people with strong communication and engagement skills, alongside technical and social innovation. While in school, seek out diverse internships that help you develop skills and networks. While maximizing salary potential is important, as you begin your career choose positions that build skills and/or make a difference on issues you care about. Even with a good salary, solving real problems can be emotionally and mentally challenging. Development of healthy life skills, time management, and social networks are as important to your success as skills developed in the academic sector.
Bridget Baker MS, DVM
Research Assistant ProfessorFlorida Southern College
Natural Resources Conservation And Research
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Bridget Baker MS, DVM: Use of drone and AI technologies.
What's a day at work look like for a Natural Resource Manager?
Dr. Rebecca Jordan: Students who are often attracted to sustainability related careers tend to have two things in common (in my view): an enjoyment of the outdoors and a strong sense of community development. In many ways the former will continue to happen but for the near term in separate transportation, with masks, and likely with restricted travel. The latter, working with communities, will likely look very different over the coming year or two. Individuals are going to be online more and conversations and community building events will be smaller.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Rebecca Jordan: I am not sure this has changed with the pandemic, but certainly strong communication skills, a clear abilty to adapt and problem-solve and likely a mix of quantitative and qualitative data collection skills will be important.
Steven Martin Ph.D.
Professor & Department ChairHumboldt State University
Department of Environmental Science and Management
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Natural Resource Managers?
Steven Martin Ph.D.: Courses or certificates in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or more broadly anything in the field of geospatial science, which would include GIS, remote sensing, cartography, mobile mapping, and geospatial programming, would be a great addition to a degree in natural resources management or environmental science. Many if not most natural resource managers and environmental scientists use GIS themselves, or at least work closely with geospatial specialists. Having some background in GIS or the geospatial sciences in general will make an applicant that much more desirable to an employer. I'd also put in a plug for courses in statistics, environmental methods, and data analysis. Students sometimes tend to shy away from those if given a choice, but they are really valuable and would be desirable to most employers.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Natural Resource Managers?
Richard Kobe Ph.D.: Aside from broad societal level changes such as greater opportunities to work remotely, I don't think that the pandemic will have an enduring impact on forestry graduates, particularly employment levels. There has been a shortage of foresters for several years - we place nearly 100% of all graduates in positions. If anything, demand for forestry expertise has increased during the pandemic with a need for sustainably managing forests to produce wood for those many home-based construction projects that people pursued during the pandemic. Furthermore, climate change is again become a societal focal point, with the recognition that sustainable forest management and substituting wood for other materials - like concrete and steel - can have huge climate benefits.
What's a good job out of college for Natural Resource Managers?
Richard Kobe Ph.D.: There are so many great options with a forestry degree. Some of our graduates start as field foresters in wild areas, developing forest management plans. Others work for the tree care industry and advise property owners and supervise crews on how to best care for urban and suburban trees. Others manage projects for using trees to take up carbon from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change. Students can also pursue a research career through graduate school or may go in the direction of a more policy focused position.
What will help Natural Resource Managers increase their earning potential?
Richard Kobe Ph.D.: Educate yourself broadly. Forestry is an interdisciplinary field. Just learning about how to grow trees could limit career growth. Learn how to collaborate and work in teams and communicate effectively. Learn the ecological, economic and social dimensions of forests for all the great benefits they provide - clean water, recreation, wood products and fighting climate change.
Joseph Tuquero
Extension Agent III / InstructorUniversity of Guam
Cooperative Extension & Outreach
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Natural Resource Managers to find work opportunities?
Joseph Tuquero: Universities, US federal agencies (Dept of Defense, USDA, Dept. Of Interior, US Forest Service), state agriculture, biology, and environmental agencies, and private environmental/conservation/agricultural companies/organizations, public and private schools (sciences).
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Mark Ashton: Be flexible and adaptable in selecting your first job, and gain from that experience so that, even if it is not exactly what you want to do, it provides you the experience and a resume portfolio that makes you more attractive for getting the position that you do really want later.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Natural Resource Managers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Mark Ashton: Mediocre. Starting salaries vary a lot by region and kind of job. A field forester or natural resource manager in a rural location - 40-55k; In a city 55-65k.
What general advice would you give to a Natural Resource Manager?
Helen Mango Ph.D.: Emphasize skills learned - field, laboratory, computer, writing.... Also that geology is multi-disciplinary. It uses chemistry, physics, math, biology, tech.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Natural Resource Managers in the next 3-5 years?
Helen Mango Ph.D.: Anything with GIS.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Natural Resource Managers?
Helen Mango Ph.D.: Short-term, yes. It is currently harder to find work because companies and governments are holding back hiring. Long-term, no. Geologists have too much to do: geologic hazard assessment, environmental clean-up, exploration, resource use and management, land planning....