For most of us, climbing trees is a phase we grow out of by the time we hit puberty and can appreciate the risks of a broken bone. But professional tree climbers never grow out of the urge to climb the nearest strong oak or elm. In fact, they get paid to do so.
Professional tree climbers often double as arborists, otherwise known as people who help keep trees healthy. They cut away dead branches and prune trees so that they look attractive and are safe to walk under. However, some tree climbers also work as guides in tourism or recreation as recreational tree climbing is becoming more and more popular among the young at heart.
As you can probably imagine, tree climbing isn't a skill that you can major in at most universities, which explains why few tree climbers have bachelor's degrees. Most learn the tools of the trade on the job, such as how to use climbing ropes and saddles to climb trees. Professional tree climbing is far more technical than the scramble to the nearest branch in childhood.
What is a Tree Climber?
What Does a Tree Climber Do
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a tree climber, we found that a lot of resumes listed 23.9% of tree climbers included cdl, while 13.0% of resumes included bucket truck, and 11.4% of resumes included hand tools. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
How To Become a Tree Climber
If you're interested in becoming a tree climber, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 15.9% of tree climbers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.2% of tree climbers have master's degrees. Even though some tree climbers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Tree Climber Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of foreman you might progress to a role such as supervisor eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title service manager.
Average Salary for a Tree Climber
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Tree Climber Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active tree climber jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where tree climbers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Tree Climber Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 154 | $34,573 |
| 2 | California | 119 | $55,917 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 112 | $44,544 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 110 | $47,554 |
| 5 | Virginia | 95 | $42,027 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 94 | $43,249 |
| 7 | Ohio | 93 | $46,692 |
| 8 | New York | 91 | $54,992 |
| 9 | Georgia | 84 | $38,196 |
| 10 | Texas | 73 | $39,122 |
| 11 | Michigan | 64 | $41,335 |
| 12 | Maryland | 63 | $43,607 |
| 13 | Illinois | 47 | $52,686 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 47 | $42,374 |
| 15 | South Carolina | 45 | $41,178 |
| 16 | Indiana | 44 | $42,369 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | 43 | $46,702 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 35 | $38,645 |
| 19 | Colorado | 34 | $38,960 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 30 | $52,613 |
| 21 | Alabama | 30 | $36,723 |
| 22 | Arizona | 26 | $40,957 |
| 23 | Missouri | 25 | $36,163 |
| 24 | West Virginia | 19 | $39,559 |
| 25 | Washington | 17 | $42,433 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 16 | $38,227 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | 15 | $44,064 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 15 | $47,146 |
| 29 | Maine | 15 | $39,037 |
| 30 | Iowa | 15 | $40,946 |
| 31 | Kansas | 14 | $37,500 |
| 32 | Vermont | 13 | $46,259 |
| 33 | Oregon | 12 | $41,265 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | 10 | $32,979 |
| 35 | Utah | 9 | $53,260 |
| 36 | Mississippi | 7 | $46,187 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 6 | $47,599 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 6 | $38,647 |
| 39 | Nevada | 5 | $49,936 |
| 40 | Montana | 4 | $48,273 |
| 41 | Delaware | 4 | $46,588 |
| 42 | Idaho | 3 | $45,996 |
| 43 | Arkansas | 3 | $33,892 |
| 44 | Wyoming | 2 | $47,322 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 1 | $51,918 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 1 | $46,799 |
| 47 | New Mexico | 1 | $42,303 |
| 48 | Nebraska | 1 | $37,770 |
| 49 | Alaska | 0 | $54,496 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 0 | $49,898 |
Choose From 10+ Customizable Tree Climber Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Tree Climber templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Tree Climber resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Tree Climber Demographics
Tree Climber Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among tree climbers, 2.3% of them are women, while 97.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among tree climbers is White, which makes up 72.8% of all tree climbers.
- The most common foreign language among tree climbers is Spanish at 54.5%.
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Best States For a Tree Climber
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a tree climber. The best states for people in this position are California, New York, Alaska, and Utah. Tree climbers make the most in California with an average salary of $55,917. Whereas in New York and Alaska, they would average $54,992 and $54,496, respectively. While tree climbers would only make an average of $53,260 in Utah, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New York
$54,992
Avg. Salary
2. Ohio
$46,692
Avg. Salary
3. Illinois
$52,686
Avg. Salary
How Do Tree Climber Rate Their Jobs?
Top Tree Climber Employers
Most Common Employers For Tree Climber
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bailey International | $45,509 | $21.88 | 3 |
| 2 | Uniforms Express | $44,638 | $21.46 | 3 |
| 3 | Ever-Green Tree Care | $44,327 | $21.31 | 4 |
| 4 | Bartlett Tree Experts | $44,311 | $21.30 | 22 |
| 5 | DJ's Landscape Management | $44,307 | $21.30 | 3 |
| 6 | The Davey Tree Expert Company | $44,286 | $21.29 | 43 |
| 7 | Asplundh Tree Expert | $44,277 | $21.29 | 77 |
| 8 | Wright Tree Service | $44,272 | $21.28 | 20 |
| 9 | SavATree | $44,242 | $21.27 | 21 |
| 10 | Nelson Tree Service | $44,210 | $21.25 | 11 |