Park ranger vs interpretive naturalist

The differences between park rangers and interpretive 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 park ranger and an interpretive naturalist. Additionally, an interpretive naturalist has an average salary of $43,341, which is higher than the $40,801 average annual salary of a park ranger.

The top three skills for a park ranger include patrol, customer service and CPR. The most important skills for an interpretive naturalist are natural history, interpretive programs, and public speaking.

Park ranger vs interpretive naturalist overview

	Park Ranger	Interpretive Naturalist
Yearly salary	$40,801	$43,341
Hourly rate	$19.62	$20.84
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	2,380	122
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Park ranger vs interpretive naturalist salary

Park rangers and interpretive naturalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Park Ranger	Interpretive Naturalist
Average salary	$40,801	$43,341
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $72,000	Between $24,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Delaware	-
Best paying company	National Park Foundation	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between park ranger and interpretive naturalist education

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

	Park Ranger	Interpretive Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Biology
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	University of California, Berkeley

Park ranger vs interpretive naturalist demographics

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

	Park Ranger	Interpretive Naturalist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 37.7% Female, 62.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 0.5% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% Asian, 1.4% White, 91.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 0.8% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% Asian, 1.4% White, 91.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between park ranger and interpretive naturalist duties and responsibilities

Park ranger example responsibilities.

Lead ranger-guided canoe, kayak, and bike tours as well as nature walks and hikes.
Manage rental property for RV property which include maintaining logs for permanent tenants and for visiting tenants.
Manage emergency calls, medical incidents, and SAR operations, including coordinating responses with local agencies and other park departments.
Manage and staff park entrance station facilitating camping reservations and assisting day use visitors.
Evaluate students on leadership, time management, organization and ability to accomplish missions.
Maintain POS and ticketing system.

Interpretive naturalist example responsibilities.

Lead tour groups on both bicycles and kayaks, man small retail/rental outlet as only staff person.
Perform GPS field mapping of Canada thistle, process GPS data, and used GIS for analysis and mapping.
Communicate and coordinate with DEP employees and volunteers.

Park ranger vs interpretive naturalist skills

Common park ranger skills

Patrol, 20%
Customer Service, 7%
CPR, 5%
Public Safety, 5%
Interpretive Programs, 5%
Rangers, 5%

Common interpretive naturalist skills

Natural History, 20%
Interpretive Programs, 18%
Public Speaking, 14%
Natural Resources, 8%
DNR, 8%
Environmental Education Programs, 5%

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Park Ranger vs Interpretive Naturalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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