Conservation Scientists
Manage, improve, and protect natural resources to maximize their use without damaging the environment. May conduct soil surveys and develop plans to eliminate soil erosion or to protect rangelands. May instruct farmers, agricultural production managers, or ranchers in best ways to use crop rotation, contour plowing, or terracing to conserve soil and water; in the number and kind of livestock and forage plants best suited to particular ranges; and in range and farm improvements, such as fencing and reservoirs for stock watering.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-1031.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$73,010
Employment, U.S.25,950
Median hourly wage$35.10
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,550 | $57,700 | $73,010 | $91,560 | $110,410 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 110 | $77,000 | 0.31 |
| Alaska | 290 | $79,260 | 5.30 |
| Arizona | 410 | $66,750 | 0.76 |
| Arkansas | 230 | $73,320 | 1.06 |
| California | 2,110 | $79,810 | 0.69 |
| Colorado | 1,230 | $84,820 | 2.57 |
| Connecticut | 140 | $73,860 | 0.50 |
| Delaware | 80 | $63,850 | 1.02 |
| District of Columbia | 110 | $99,400 | 0.97 |
| Florida | 950 | $51,130 | 0.57 |
| Georgia | 360 | $69,240 | 0.44 |
| Hawaii | 220 | $65,740 | 2.14 |
| Idaho | 300 | $81,330 | 2.13 |
| Illinois | 730 | $69,590 | 0.72 |
| Indiana | 430 | $64,570 | 0.80 |
| Iowa | 610 | $69,240 | 2.36 |
| Kansas | 220 | $67,200 | 0.91 |
| Kentucky | 180 | $71,980 | 0.53 |
| Louisiana | 190 | $80,190 | 0.60 |
| Maine | 290 | $75,900 | 2.75 |
| Maryland | 470 | $83,290 | 1.02 |
| Massachusetts | 760 | $78,740 | 1.26 |
| Michigan | 820 | $63,500 | 1.12 |
| Minnesota | 770 | $71,280 | 1.57 |
| Mississippi | 470 | $59,510 | 2.42 |
| Missouri | 600 | $63,130 | 1.22 |
| Montana | 560 | $73,920 | 6.53 |
| Nebraska | 220 | $76,400 | 1.30 |
| Nevada | 210 | $73,030 | 0.79 |
| New Hampshire | 130 | $74,650 | 1.14 |
| New Jersey | 500 | $64,020 | 0.70 |
| New Mexico | 330 | $76,800 | 2.25 |
| New York | 640 | $76,990 | 0.40 |
| North Carolina | 540 | $64,460 | 0.65 |
| North Dakota | 340 | $77,280 | 4.70 |
| Ohio | 680 | $63,160 | 0.74 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $71,270 | 1.07 |
| Oregon | 1,020 | $80,790 | 3.10 |
| Pennsylvania | 900 | $61,480 | 0.89 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $76,130 | 0.66 |
| South Carolina | 300 | $52,310 | 0.78 |
| South Dakota | 360 | $76,400 | 4.66 |
| Tennessee | 250 | $70,500 | 0.46 |
| Texas | 1,970 | $68,620 | 0.84 |
| Utah | 410 | $78,850 | 1.41 |
| Vermont | 100 | $70,130 | 2.00 |
| Virginia | 480 | $77,380 | 0.70 |
| Washington | 1,270 | $78,450 | 2.14 |
| West Virginia | 160 | $69,910 | 1.39 |
| Wisconsin | 970 | $79,540 | 1.97 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $81,310 | 3.24 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environmental Restoration Planners | 5 | 0.974 |
| 2 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 5 | 0.972 |
| 3 | Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | 4 | 0.970 |
| 4 | Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 4 | 0.967 |
| 5 | Foresters | 4 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Range Managers | 4 | 0.962 |
| 7 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 4 | 0.957 |
| 8 | Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 4 | 0.955 |
| 9 | Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | 3 | 0.953 |
| 10 | Precision Agriculture Technicians | 3 | 0.952 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Conservation Scientists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | Reading Comprehension | 1.12 | 0.970 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | Operations Monitoring | 0.88 | 0.967 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | Quality Control Analysis | 2.26 | 0.947 |
| Agricultural Technicians | Operations Monitoring | 1.00 | 0.937 |
| Energy Auditors | Operations Monitoring | 1.00 | 0.935 |
| Surveyors | Mathematics | 1.00 | 0.935 |
| Geodetic Surveyors | Mathematics | 1.76 | 0.933 |
| Landscape Architects | Operations Analysis | 3.75 | 0.932 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Conservation Scientists, excluding software Conservation Scientists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Geomechanical design analysis GDA software | 6 of 20 | 19.8x |
| HEC-RAS | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| ESRI ArcPad | 4 of 20 | 36.9x |
| Laboratory information management system LIMS | 5 of 20 | 12.8x |
| EarthSoft EQuIS Geology | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| GAEA Technologies WinSieve | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE | 4 of 20 | 12.3x |
| HEC-HMS | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Geographic resources analysis support system GRASS | 3 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Material safety data sheet MSDS software | 3 of 20 | 23.1x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | not rated |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.62 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.38 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 4.26 | 4.52 |
| Biology | 3.91 | 4.83 |
| Geography | 3.74 | 5.09 |
| Mathematics | 3.74 | 4.70 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.57 | 4.52 |
| Chemistry | 3.52 | 4.30 |
| Law and Government | 3.48 | 3.87 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.39 | 4.17 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.30 | 4.00 |
| Education and Training | 3.26 | 4.48 |
| Design | 3.09 | 4.00 |
| Physics | 3.09 | 3.87 |
| Administration and Management | 3.04 | 3.91 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.91 | 3.09 |
| Communications and Media | 2.87 | 2.96 |
| Administrative | 2.83 | 3.96 |
| Food Production | 2.77 | 3.13 |
| Building and Construction | 2.57 | 2.83 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.55 | 3.26 |
| Mechanical | 2.48 | 3.04 |
| Telecommunications | 2.48 | 1.78 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.43 | 2.91 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.39 | 2.30 |
| Production and Processing | 2.35 | 2.57 |
| History and Archeology | 2.22 | 2.52 |
| Psychology | 2.22 | 2.43 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.13 | 2.39 |
| Transportation | 1.96 | 1.87 |
| Foreign Language | 1.74 | 1.35 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.48 | 1.39 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.43 | 0.83 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.35 | 0.48 |
| Fine Arts | 1.17 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Written Expression | 3.62 | 4.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Near Vision | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Originality | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Number Facility | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Visualization | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.62 | 3.25 |
| Memorization | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Static Strength | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.38 | 1.75 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Reaction Time | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Night Vision | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Rate Control | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Sound Localization | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.38 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- ESRI ArcGIS software in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Autodesk Maya
- Clover Technology GALENA
- CroPMan
- CropSyst Suite
- Datasurge GEOPRO
- Delft GeoSystems MStab
- ESRI ArcInfo
- ESRI ArcView
- Email software
- GEO-SLOPE SEEP/W
- GFA2D
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- Global positioning system GPS software
- HYDRUS-2D
- Interstudio Geo-Tec B
- Landscape Management System LMS
- Mitre Software GSLOPE
- Salix Applied Earthcare Erosion Draw
All 38
- State Soil Geographic STATSGO Database
- Studio of Analytical Models STANMOD
- U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA WinSRM
- USDA Forest Vegetation Simulator FVS
- Water Soil and Hydro-Environmental Decision Support System WATERSHEDSS
- Water resources databases
- Web browser software
- WinEPIC
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 650 | 23.08 | $84,820 |
| Jefferson City, MO | 220 | 16.28 | $56,310 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 320 | 14.66 | $78,460 |
| Anchorage, AK | 170 | 5.92 | $76,430 |
| Bend, OR | 100 | 5.45 | $82,630 |
| Jackson, MS | 180 | 3.90 | $59,070 |
| Madison, WI | 260 | 3.86 | $85,110 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 120 | 3.29 | $67,580 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 130 | 2.76 | $78,440 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 450 | 2.23 | $83,580 |