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Field of degree: Natural resources

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Natural resources field of degree. Employment: 567,180. Median annual wage: $57,000.

Table 1. Natural resources degree, 2022.

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Table 1. Natural resources degree, 2022
Data	Natural resources	All fields
Employment	567,180	62,187,580
Median wage	57,000	66,000
Percent employed part time	14	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	52	62
Percent with an advanced degree	31	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of natural resources majors, 2022.

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Chart 1. Types of natural resources, 2022
Natural resources majors	Major share
Environmental Science	56%
Natural Resources Management	31
Forestry	12
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, 2022.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a natural resources degree, by occupational group, 2022
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	17%
Life, physical, and social science occupations	15
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Educational instruction and library occupations	9
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 2023–33	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2022	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2022
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	19%	Doctoral or professional degree	2%	72%
Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	7	Bachelor's degree	2	35
Project management specialists	7	Bachelor's degree	2	25
Biological scientists, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	2	48
Conservation scientists	6	Bachelor's degree	3	24
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	6	21
Lawyers	5	Doctoral or professional degree	2	92
Physical scientists, all other	2	Bachelor's degree	2	68
Elementary school teachers, except special education	-1	Bachelor's degree	2	49
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-6	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
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 July 10, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024