Natural Resources & Conservation

Contains Stem Majors

Add Comparison
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$8,038
growing 2.5%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$41,990
growing 3.4%
Average Wage
$79,066
growing 7.67%
People in Workforce
414,224
growing 5.29%
Average Employee Age
40
declining 0.79%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients are Corvallis, OR, Berkeley, CA, and Madison, WI. The most common degree awarded to students studying Natural Resources & Conservation is a bachelors degree.

About the photo: View of Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
Photo by David J Laporte

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Natural Resources & Conservation and the types of students that study this field. Oregon State University awards the most degrees in Natural Resources & Conservation in the US, but Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation.

Tuition costs for Natural Resources & Conservation majors are, on average, $8,038 for in-state public colleges, and $41,990 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Natural Resources & Conservation programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (497 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (21,805 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation (2023)
  1. Oregon State University
    645 degrees awarded
  2. University of California-Berkeley
    561 degrees awarded
  3. University of Wisconsin-Madison
    531 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation, is Public, 4-year or above (21,805 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Natural Resources & Conservation programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,038
Median In-State Public
$41,990
Median Out of State Private

Oregon State University has the most Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients, with 645 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution
  1. Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
    53.3%
  2. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    39.6%
  3. Unity Environmental University
    30.5%

Out of all institutions that offer Natural Resources & Conservation programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation, with 53.3%.

View Data
Save Image

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation
  1. Benton County, OR
    645 degrees awarded
  2. Maricopa County, AZ
    609 degrees awarded
  3. Alameda County, CA
    586 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation by year.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Natural Resources & Conservation graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Natural Resources & Conservation majors is $79,066 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Conservation scientists & foresters, and Biological scientists.

The industry that employs the most Natural Resources & Conservation majors is Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Not specified manufacturing industries.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$79,066
Average Wage in Workforce
± $2,810
7.67%
1 Year Growth
± 4.71%

The average salary for Natural Resources & Conservation majors is $79,066 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Conservation scientists & foresters, and Biological scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas
  1. Santa Clara County (East)--Gilroy, Morgan Hill & San Jose (South) Cities PUMA, CA
    $385,538
  2. Coastal Bend COG (Northeast) PUMA, TX
    $324,587
  3. Palm Beach County (Southeast)--Boca Raton City & Highland Beach Town PUMA, FL
    $312,814

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Natural Resources & Conservation majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Most Common

The most common occupations Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by number of employees, are Other managers, Conservation scientists & foresters, and Biological scientists.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart
View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Natural Resources & Conservation majors working as Conservation scientists & foresters, Environmental scientists and specialists, including health, and Biological scientists.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart
View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Natural Resources & Conservation majors are Surgeons, Optometrists, and Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart
View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Occupations by Share

414,224
2022 Workforce
± 15,780
5.29%
1 Year Growth
± 5.18%

The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.29%, from 393,424 in 2021 to 414,224 in 2022.

The largest single share of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates go on to work as Other managers (6.24%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Natural Resources & Conservation by share of the total number of graduates.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by number of employees, are Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Elementary & secondary schools.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart
View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by average wage, are Not specified manufacturing industries, Oil & gas extraction, and Furniture & home furnishing merchant wholesalers.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart
View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Industries by Share

414,224
2022 Workforce
± 15,780
5.29%
1 Year Growth
± 5.18%

The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.29%, from 393,424 in 2021 to 414,224 in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Natural Resources & Conservation graduates by share is Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Natural Resources & Conservation.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Natural Resources & Conservation majors
  1. Humboldt County PUMA, CA
    9.6
  2. Southwest Colorado PUMA, CO
    8.95
  3. Lake, Mineral, Missoula & Sanders Counties--Missoula City PUMA, MT
    7.05

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Natural Resources & Conservation majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation is 40.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Natural Resources & Conservation degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Natural Resources & Conservation (22,255 students).

Workforce Age

40
Average Age in 2022
± 0.485 Years
0.79%
1 Year Change
± 1.75%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation. The most common ages of employees with this major are 26 and 25 years old, which represent 3.81% and 3.68% of the population, respectively.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Natural Resources & Conservation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Natural Resources & Conservation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (58.2%)
Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Natural Resources & Conservation.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    22,255 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    3,607 degrees awarded
  3. Two or More Races
    1,487 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
  1. N/A
    N/A degrees awarded
  2. N/A
    N/A degrees awarded
  3. N/A
    N/A degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of N/A recipients in Natural Resources & Conservation.

N/A students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. China
    3,008 degree recipients
  2. India
    2,533 degree recipients
  3. Mexico
    2,161 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Serbia
    7.56 times more than expected
  2. Algeria
    7.31 times more than expected
  3. Scotland
    6.05 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Serbia that hold Natural Resources & Conservation degrees (7.56 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is China (3,008 degree recipients).

View Data
Save Image
Add Data to Cart

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Natural Resources & Conservation field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Natural Resources & Conservation majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Natural Resources & Conservation majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Management of Material Resources, and Operations Analysis.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Natural Resources & Conservation majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

View Data
Save Image

Bar Chart

View Data
Save Image
0