Natural Resources & Conservation

Contains Stem Majors

Add Comparison
    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    32,361
    growing 0.794%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $8,240
    growing 3.04%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $43,900
    growing 4.55%
    Average Wage
    $84,960
    growing 3.37%
    People in Workforce
    459,370
    growing 5.41%
    Average Employee Age
    39.6
    declining 0.431%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients are Corvallis, OR, South Hooksett, NH, and Berkeley, CA. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients are Paul Smiths, NY, DuBois, PA, and Ashland, 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

    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 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation.

    Tuition costs for Natural Resources & Conservation majors are, on average, $8,240 for in-state public colleges, and $43,900 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 (493 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (21,935 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation (2024)
    1. 671 degrees awarded
    2. 554 degrees awarded
    3. 540 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation, is Public, 4-year or above (21,935 completions in 2024).

    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

    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $8,240
    Median In-State Public
    $43,900
    Median Out of State Private

    Oregon State University has the most Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients, with 671 degrees awarded in 2024.

    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

    Specialized Colleges

    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 63.3%.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Degrees Awarded by County

    Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation
    1. 671 degrees awarded
    2. 595 degrees awarded
    3. 568 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

    Employment

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

    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 Furniture & home furnishing merchant wholesalers.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    $84,960
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $2,884
    3.37%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 4.7%

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

    View Data
    Save Image

    Highest Paying Locations

    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
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Occupations by Share

    459,370
    2024 Workforce
    ± 16,615
    5.41%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 4.92%

    The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.41%, from 435,778 in 2023 to 459,370 in 2024.

    The largest single share of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates go on to work as Other managers (6.36%). 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
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Industries by Share

    459,370
    2024 Workforce
    ± 16,615
    5.41%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 4.92%

    The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.41%, from 435,778 in 2023 to 459,370 in 2024.

    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

    Specialty Locations

    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

    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 39.6.

    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 (21,954 students).

    Workforce Age

    39.6
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.457 Years
    0.431%
    1 Year Change
    ± 1.66%

    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 32 years old, which represent 3.92% and 3.86% of the population, respectively.

    View Data
    Save Image

    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

    Workforce Degrees

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

    View Data
    Save Image

    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Female (59.2%)
    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

    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      21,954 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      3,924 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Non-resident Alien
      1,559 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Natural Resources & Conservation for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees
    Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
    1. White Female
      9,121 degrees awarded
    2. White Male
      6,420 degrees awarded
    3. Hispanic or Latino Female
      1,875 degrees awarded

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Natural Resources & Conservation.

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

    View Data
    Save Image

    Global Diversity

    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. China
      3,798 degree recipients
    2. Mexico
      2,952 degree recipients
    3. India
      2,917 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Serbia
      8.91 times more than expected
    2. Samoa
      6.9 times more than expected
    3. Latvia
      6.45 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Serbia that hold Natural Resources & Conservation degrees (8.91 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 (3,798 degree recipients).

    View Data
    Save Image

    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, Repairing, and Equipment Maintenance.

    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, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Bar Chart

    View Data
    Save Image