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Field of degree: Natural resources

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Natural resources field of degree. Employment: 508,700. Median annual wage: $56,000.

Table 1. Natural resources degree, 2021.

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Table 1. Natural resources degree, 2021
Data	Natural resources	All fields
Employment	508,700	59,687,450
Median wage	56,000	63,000
Percent employed part time	14	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	55	62
Percent with an advanced degree	32	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of natural resources majors, 2021.

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Chart 1. Types of natural resources, 2021
Natural resources majors	Major share
Environmental Science	56%
Natural Resources Management	31
Forestry	14
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a natural resources degree, by occupational group, 2021.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a natural resources degree, by occupational group, 2021
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	18%
Life, physical, and social science occupations	15
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Educational instruction and library occupations	8
Sales and related occupations	6
Other	44
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a natural resources degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a natural resources degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2022–32	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2021	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2021
Management analysts	10%	Bachelor's degree	2%	35%
Lawyers	8	Doctoral or professional degree	2	91
Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	6	Bachelor's degree	2	39
Project management specialists	6	Bachelor's degree	2	26
Biological scientists, all other	4	Bachelor's degree	3	52
Conservation scientists	4	Bachelor's degree	3	24
Postsecondary teachers, all other	4	Doctoral or professional degree	2	72
Managers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	6	21
Physical scientists, all other	2	Bachelor's degree	2	70
Elementary school teachers, except special education	1	Bachelor's degree	2	49
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Natural resources,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/natural-resources/natural-resources-field-of-degree.htm (visited September 08, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023