The median pay for Log Graders and Scalers is $46,330 a year ($22.27/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to fall 2.2% through 2035, with about 600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 45-4023
- Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Log Grader and Scaler in four numbers
- Median pay
- $46,330a year, or $22.27/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $35KTop 10% $62K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -2.2%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−2.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −2.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 6004,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20254.4K
- Projected 20354.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 4.4K Projected 2035 4.3K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school11.2%
- High school64.2%
- Certificate11%
- Some college11.6%
- Associate's2%
Highest education held by log graders and scalers Segment Value Less than high school 11.2% High school 64.2% Certificate 11% Some college 11.6% Associate's 2%
Also advertised as: Log Buyer, Log Check Scaler, Log Grader, Log Scaler, Lumber Grader, Scaler.
Pay
How much do Log Graders and Scalers make?
Every log grader and scaler in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$46,330
Middle half earn $37,780 to $56,250
- 10th
- $34,950
- 25th
- $37,780
- 75th
- $56,250
- 90th
- $62,400
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $34,950 |
| 25th | $37,780 |
| Median | $46,330 |
| 75th | $56,250 |
| 90th | $62,400 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $46,330
- Median hourly wage
- $22.27/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $47,770
- People employed
- 3,070
Versus all US occupations
At $46,330, Log Graders and Scalers earn 9% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $4,650 a year.
Versus farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
Inside the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry group, where the middle occupation pays $45,005, this is 3% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $62,400 or more while the bottom 10% earn $34,950, a gap of 1.8×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 14% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($61,580), but once local prices are taken into account Idaho leads at $60,339 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Log Graders and Scalers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $61,580 | $57,544 | 200 |
| 2Oregon | $60,250 | $58,291 | 50 |
| 3Idaho | $57,620 | $60,339 | 140 |
| 4California | $56,670 | $51,183 | 320 |
| 5Michigan | $51,810 | $53,847 | 50 |
| 6Maine | $50,180 | $51,705 | 120 |
| 7Ohio | $49,710 | $53,582 | 30 |
| 8Mississippi | $48,010 | $55,214 | 130 |
| 9Louisiana | $47,510 | $53,862 | 90 |
| 10New Hampshire | $46,530 | $44,670 | 30 |
Job outlook
Is Log Grader and Scaler a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -2.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Log Graders and Scalers | −2.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Log Graders and Scalers to change -2.2% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 100 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 600 openings are projected each year, 13.6% of the 4,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of logging workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The mechanization of logging operations and improvements in logging equipment have increased productivity, which is expected to reduce demand for logging workers. However, the need to prevent destructive wildfires by thinning susceptible forests is expected to support some employment.
Getting in
How to become a Log Grader and Scaler
Logging workers typically need a high school diploma, although some jobs do not require a formal educational credential. These workers get on-the-job training to become familiar with forest environments and to learn how to operate logging machinery.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as log graders and scalers.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)64.2%
- Some College Courses11.6%
- Less than a High School Diploma11.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate11%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 64.2% |
| Some College Courses | 11.6% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 11.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 11% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Log Grader and Scaler do?
Grade logs or estimate the marketable content or value of logs or pulpwood in sorting yards, millpond, log deck, or similar locations. Inspect logs for defects or measure logs to determine volume.
Some logging workers harvest trees using handheld equipment or large machinery. Others inspect, grade, or estimate the market value of harvested trees, which provide the raw material for consumer and industrial products.
Day-to-day tasks
- Evaluate log characteristics and determine grades, using established criteria.
- Record data about individual trees or load volumes into tally books or hand-held collection terminals.
- Measure felled logs or loads of pulpwood to calculate volume, weight, dimensions, and marketable value, using measuring devices and conversion tables.
- Identify logs of substandard or special grade so that they can be returned to shippers, regraded, recut, or transferred for other processing.
- Jab logs with metal ends of scale sticks, and inspect logs to ascertain characteristics or defects such as water damage, splits, knots, broken ends, rotten areas, twists, and curves.
- Paint identification marks of specified colors on logs to identify grades or species, using spray cans, or call out grades to log markers.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most logging workers are full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Work schedules may vary to include early mornings or extended shifts. Workers sometimes commute long distances between their homes and logging sites. Logging work may be seasonal in some regions of the country.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayRarely works in a climate-controlled indoor space.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.3
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Speaking3.1
- Writing3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Mathematics2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.9 |
| Mathematics | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Operations Monitoring2.9
- Time Management2.9
- Social Perceptiveness2.8
- Persuasion2.8
- Operation and Control2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.9 |
| Time Management | 2.9 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.8 |
| Persuasion | 2.8 |
| Operation and Control | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Inventory management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Log Grader and Scaler?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Log Grader and Scaler |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Conventional6.3
- Realistic5.0
- Investigative2.4
- Enterprising1.8
- Social1.1
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Log Grader and Scaler
O*NET related occupations
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More farming, fishing, and forestry careers
Median annual pay, with log graders and scalers highlighted
- First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320
- Cannabis Cultivation Director$59,320
- Faller$52,100
- Animal Breeder$51,130
- Agricultural Inspector$49,940
- Logging Equipment Operator$49,740
- Log Grader and Scaler$46,330
- Agricultural Equipment Operator$41,730
- Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | $59,320 |
| Cannabis Cultivation Director | $59,320 |
| Faller | $52,100 |
| Animal Breeder | $51,130 |
| Agricultural Inspector | $49,940 |
| Logging Equipment Operator | $49,740 |
| Log Grader and Scaler | $46,330 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operator | $41,730 |
| Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | $35,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Log Grader and Scaler appears on
Questions
Log Grader and Scaler: frequently asked questions
How much do Log Graders and Scalers make?
Log Graders and Scalers earn a median of $46,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 9% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.27/hr. The middle half earn between $37,780 and $56,250. The top 10% earn $62,400 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Log Grader and Scaler?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Log Graders and Scalers. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 64.2% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Log Grader and Scaler a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 2.2% over 2025–2035, a loss of 100 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Log Grader and Scaler do?
Some logging workers harvest trees using handheld equipment or large machinery. A core O*NET task: evaluate log characteristics and determine grades, using established criteria. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.
Which states pay Log Graders and Scalers the most?
The highest state medians for Log Graders and Scalers are Washington ($61,580), Oregon ($60,250), Idaho ($57,620) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Idaho moves to the top at $60,339.
What personality type suits a Log Grader and Scaler?
O*NET scores Log Graders and Scalers highest on the Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.