Pay by state · 44 states
Forester Salary by State (2026)
Foresters earn the most in California at $107,120 a year and the least in Oklahoma at $50,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $76,400. All 44 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $107,120California
- National median
- $76,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $50,990Oklahoma
- States reporting
- 44of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Forester salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of foresters OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $107,120 | $91,170 | $130,430 | 820 | $96,749 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $89,650 | $74,680 | $98,760 | 130 | $84,770 |
| 3 | AKAlaska | $87,210 | $73,990 | $98,420 | 80 | $85,200 |
| 4 | SCSouth Carolina | $86,780 | $65,060 | $97,610 | 250 | $92,566 |
| 5 | MDMaryland | $86,100 | $62,260 | $95,150 | 120 | $82,032 |
| 6 | CTConnecticut | $84,820 | $82,310 | $91,530 | 60 | $81,865 |
| 7 | IAIowa | $83,000 | $68,470 | $94,800 | 50 | $94,574 |
| 8 | ILIllinois | $82,160 | $73,490 | $105,580 | 220 | $82,195 |
| 9 | OROregon | $81,450 | $67,170 | $93,640 | 670 | $78,801 |
| 10 | VTVermont | $80,750 | $70,200 | $89,320 | 80 | $82,433 |
| 11 | TXTexas | $80,370 | $70,690 | $95,350 | 210 | $82,807 |
| 12 | ALAlabama | $79,530 | $60,040 | $87,050 | 240 | $89,538 |
| 13 | WAWashington | $78,460 | $67,270 | $103,760 | 950 | $73,318 |
| 14 | PAPennsylvania | $78,280 | $64,810 | $91,770 | 310 | $80,228 |
| 15 | NCNorth Carolina | $77,870 | $48,180 | $77,870 | N/A | $82,554 |
| 16 | GAGeorgia | $76,970 | $60,980 | $109,690 | 370 | $79,933 |
| 17 | MNMinnesota | $76,490 | $67,370 | $88,000 | 390 | $77,560 |
| 18 | COColorado | $76,400 | $64,190 | $85,180 | 210 | $74,137 |
| 19 | MIMichigan | $75,920 | $63,860 | $85,430 | 340 | $78,905 |
| 20 | UTUtah | $75,210 | $66,330 | $82,200 | 40 | $76,074 |
| 21 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $74,710 | $74,700 | $75,450 | N/A | $67,979 |
| 22 | NYNew York | $73,710 | $69,570 | $82,640 | 280 | $68,300 |
| 23 | OHOhio | $73,320 | $62,180 | $84,120 | 160 | $79,031 |
| 24 | TNTennessee | $71,990 | $62,140 | $80,720 | 120 | $78,361 |
| 25 | VAVirginia | $71,990 | $59,680 | $85,330 | 340 | $71,204 |
| 26 | MSMississippi | $71,280 | $53,770 | $92,170 | 110 | $81,975 |
| 27 | ARArkansas | $69,240 | $56,360 | $78,850 | 130 | $79,644 |
| 28 | NMNew Mexico | $69,240 | $61,760 | $79,710 | 50 | $75,088 |
| 29 | WYWyoming | $68,180 | $63,130 | $79,820 | 60 | $73,556 |
| 30 | KSKansas | $67,540 | $62,400 | $87,230 | 40 | $74,988 |
| 31 | AZArizona | $67,200 | $61,110 | $79,440 | 70 | $66,748 |
| 32 | MTMontana | $67,200 | $63,130 | $81,430 | 240 | $71,002 |
| 33 | MEMaine | $66,480 | $59,470 | $73,380 | 70 | $68,501 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $66,010 | $60,880 | $78,880 | 570 | $70,153 |
| 35 | IDIdaho | $65,170 | $57,410 | $72,900 | 280 | $68,245 |
| 36 | NHNew Hampshire | $65,170 | $49,340 | $86,070 | 110 | $62,564 |
| 37 | SDSouth Dakota | $64,460 | $54,660 | $74,200 | 120 | $72,765 |
| 38 | FLFlorida | $64,130 | $51,500 | $88,380 | 380 | $62,013 |
| 39 | MOMissouri | $63,220 | $52,850 | $76,290 | 120 | $69,613 |
| 40 | WVWest Virginia | $62,550 | $47,090 | $79,430 | 100 | $69,891 |
| 41 | INIndiana | $61,110 | $51,170 | $86,230 | 160 | $65,478 |
| 42 | KYKentucky | $56,460 | $51,160 | $69,240 | 120 | $62,623 |
| 43 | NVNevada | $51,070 | $47,360 | $58,510 | N/A | $51,081 |
| 44 | OKOklahoma | $50,990 | $50,830 | $68,590 | 120 | $58,047 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Foresters, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $107,120, while California leads once prices are taken into account at $96,749.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Forester pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Foresters the most?
California reports the highest median wage for Foresters at $107,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($89,650) and Alaska ($87,210).
Which state pays Foresters the least?
Oklahoma reports the lowest median for Foresters at $50,990 a year, $56,130 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Foresters earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts California first at $96,749 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $107,120. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.