Fish and Game Wardens Salary: $95,140 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 6,420 fish and game wardens nationally earn a mean of $95,140. Projections imply about 1.3% annual decline; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, excluding state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Key Statistics
Fish and Game Wardens: what the data shows
Common questions about fish and game wardens careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a fish and game wardens?
Fish and Game Wardens is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-3031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 6,420 workers.
What does a fish and game wardens do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a fish and game wardens make?
BLS national median annual wage: $68,180 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $95,140 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $70,232 |
| 25th percentile | $81,719 |
| Median (50th) | $97,691 |
| 75th percentile | $107,409 |
| 90th percentile | $112,438 |
What education do you need?
For Fish and Game Wardens, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, Biology, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is fish and game wardens in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -6.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -12.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 6,420.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do fish and game wardenss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 6,420 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 6,420 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 6,420 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 6,420 | 16.7% |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 6,070 | 15.8% |
| State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 6,070 | 15.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Fish and Game Wardens in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Fish and Game Wardens workforce.
Employment Over Time
6,420 Workforce in 2023
The Fish and Game Wardens workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Fish and Game Wardens.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$95,140 Average Wage
In 2023, Fish and Game Wardens earned an average of $95,140.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Fish and Game Wardens.
Salary distribution for Fish and Game Wardens.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
711 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -6.4%
665 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -12.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Fish and Game Wardens.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Fish and Game Wardens and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Fish and Game Wardens employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Fish and Game Wardens.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 8.2% growth (Current: $102,524)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Fish and Game Wardens.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Fish and Game Wardens.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- FL: 730 employees, $34,380 avg wage
- TX: 480 employees, $77,910 avg wage
- NY: 370 employees, $77,570 avg wage
- TN: 360 employees, $80,170 avg wage
- CA: 290 employees, $92,510 avg wage
- AZ: 250 employees, $48,730 avg wage
- VA: 210 employees, $63,040 avg wage
- GA: 210 employees, $71,400 avg wage
- NC: 180 employees, $58,490 avg wage
- LA: 180 employees, $55,280 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Fish and Game Wardens.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 110 employees, $33,270 avg wage
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: 90 employees, $58,210 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 90 employees, $69,030 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 80 employees, $40,360 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 70 employees, $89,940 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 40 employees, $76,080 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 40 employees, $96,510 avg wage
- Richmond, VA: 40 employees, $58,740 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 40 employees, $72,590 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 40 employees, $79,310 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Fish and Game Wardens.
Diversity
Demographic information on Fish and Game Wardens in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Fish and Game Wardens in 2023 was 6,420 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Fish and Game Wardens.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Fish and Game Wardens.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Fish and Game Wardens.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Fish and Game Wardens in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Fish and Game Wardens.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Fish and Game Wardens workers.
Education level distribution for Fish and Game Wardens.
Skills
Fish and Game Wardens need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Fish and Game Wardens.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Fish and Game Wardens.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Fish and Game Wardens include Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, Biology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Fish and Game Wardens.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Fish and Game Wardens include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Fish and Game Wardens.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Fish and Game Wardens.
Daily Activities
Fish and Game Wardens spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Fish and Game Wardens.
About
Fish and Game Wardens
The average yearly wage for Fish and Game Wardens was $95,140 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-3031 - Fish and Game Wardens
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Fish and Game Wardens reports an average salary of $95,140.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 6,420 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.