Naturalist vs park naturalist

The differences between naturalists and park naturalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a naturalist and a park naturalist. Additionally, a naturalist has an average salary of $42,363, which is higher than the $40,030 average annual salary of a park naturalist.

The top three skills for a naturalist include nature programs, cultural history and CPR. The most important skills for a park naturalist are natural history, cultural history, and hand tools.

Naturalist vs park naturalist overview

	Naturalist	Park Naturalist
Yearly salary	$42,363	$40,030
Hourly rate	$20.37	$19.25
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	6,913	831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Naturalist vs park naturalist salary

Naturalists and park naturalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Naturalist	Park Naturalist
Average salary	$42,363	$40,030
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $73,000	Between $22,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	PSEA	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between naturalist and park naturalist education

There are a few differences between a naturalist and a park naturalist in terms of educational background:

	Naturalist	Park Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Environmental Science	Environmental Science
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley

Naturalist vs park naturalist demographics

Here are the differences between naturalists' and park naturalists' demographics:

	Naturalist	Park Naturalist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 0.7% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% Asian, 1.4% White, 91.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 0.7% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% Asian, 1.4% White, 91.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between naturalist and park naturalist duties and responsibilities

Naturalist example responsibilities.

Lead tour groups on both bicycles and kayaks, man small retail/rental outlet as only staff person.
Act as primary historian for all tour groups, ages k-12.
Assist with naturalist guide hikes, canoe tours and general outdoor learning activities.
Supervise canoe trips, nature walks, park cleanups, and volunteer groups.
Develop outdoor survival skills, including first aid and fire / shelter building.
Organize, implement and execute promotional meetings with various NYC public and charter schools.

Park naturalist example responsibilities.

Manage and staff park entrance station facilitating camping reservations and assisting day use visitors.
Construct new wildlife exhibits and care for existing exhibits that include live-native snakes and birds of prey.
Process computerize campsite reservations, register overnight campers by computer or self-registration systems and prepare relate reports with ORMS system.
Guide tours through the aquarium and rainforest pyramids.

Naturalist vs park naturalist skills

Common naturalist skills

Nature Programs, 14%
Cultural History, 11%
CPR, 9%
Natural History, 7%
Outdoor Education, 4%
Public Speaking, 4%

Common park naturalist skills

Natural History, 21%
Cultural History, 14%
Hand Tools, 11%
Trail Maintenance, 9%
Nature Programs, 9%
Natural Resources, 5%

Naturalist vs. similar jobs

Naturalist related careers

Naturalist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Naturalist
Naturalist vs Park Naturalist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs