Forest Ranger
Forest Ranger Salary
$11K - $16K
0% of jobs
$16K - $21K
0% of jobs
$21K - $26K
0% of jobs
$26K - $31K
12% of jobs
$35.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$31K - $36K
14% of jobs
$36K - $41K
19% of jobs
$41K - $46K
3% of jobs
The median wage is $46.7K / yr.
$46K - $51K
18% of jobs
$54.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$51K - $56K
16% of jobs
$56K - $61K
11% of jobs
$61K - $66K
8% of jobs
$11K
$46.5K
$64.5K
$45,344
/year
$21.80
/hour
Forest Ranger Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$45,344
Columbus
Ohio
$43,798
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How much does a Forest Ranger make?
As of Jun 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Forest Ranger in the United States is $45,344 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $21.80 an hour. This is the equivalent of $872/week or $3,778/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $64,500 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Forest Ranger salaries currently range between $38,000 (25th percentile) to $54,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $60,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Forest Ranger varies greatly (by as much as 16000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Forest Ranger in your area makes on average $43,798 per year, or $1,546 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $45,344. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Forest Ranger salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Forest Ranger jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Forest Ranger on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Forest Ranger Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Forest Ranger job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $9,281 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $10,905 (24.0%) above the $45,344 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Forest Ranger appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Nome, AK, and Milpitas, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Forest Ranger role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $56,249 | $27.04 |
Berkeley, CA | $55,521 | $26.69 |
Sitka, AK | $54,625 | $26.26 |
San Francisco, CA | $53,423 | $25.68 |
Santa Clara, CA | $53,254 | $25.60 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $53,218 | $25.59 |
Livermore, CA | $53,188 | $25.57 |
San Jose, CA | $53,096 | $25.53 |
Albany, CA | $53,041 | $25.50 |
Milpitas, CA | $52,843 | $25.41 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Forest Ranger Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Forest Ranger category.
For example Deputy Sales Manager jobs pay as much as $73,042 (161.1%) more than the average Forest Ranger salary of $45,344. If you're qualified, finding work as a Deputy Sales Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Forest Ranger position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Deputy Sales Manager | $118,386 | $56.92 |
Golf Sales Manager | $57,882 | $27.83 |
Golf Shop Manager | $54,099 | $26.01 |
Golf Professional | $44,778 | $21.53 |
Assistant Forest Ranger | $43,597 | $20.96 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
