Park ranger vs park naturalist

The differences between park rangers 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 park ranger and a park naturalist. Additionally, a park ranger has an average salary of $40,801, which is higher than the $40,030 average annual salary of a park naturalist.

The top three skills for a park ranger include patrol, customer service and CPR. The most important skills for a park naturalist are natural history, cultural history, and hand tools.

Park ranger vs park naturalist overview

	Park Ranger	Park Naturalist
Yearly salary	$40,801	$40,030
Hourly rate	$19.62	$19.25
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	2,380	831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Park ranger vs park naturalist salary

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

	Park Ranger	Park Naturalist
Average salary	$40,801	$40,030
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $72,000	Between $22,000 And $71,000
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 park naturalist education

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

	Park Ranger	Park Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Environmental Science
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	University of California, Berkeley

Park ranger vs park naturalist demographics

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

	Park Ranger	Park Naturalist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%
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, 0.7% 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 park ranger and park 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.

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.

Park ranger vs park naturalist skills

Common park ranger skills

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

Common park naturalist skills

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

Park Ranger vs. similar jobs

Park Ranger related careers

Park Ranger related jobs

What similar roles do

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

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs