Fish and Game Wardens

Median salary

$74,060

Average salary

$74,950

Employment

5,770

Projected growth

6% decline

Annual openings

500

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Fish and Game Wardens Do

Patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Law and Governmentimportance 4.6/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.5/5
Biologyimportance 4.1/5
English Languageimportance 4.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
Psychologyimportance 3.8/5
Geographyimportance 3.6/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.4/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.9/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.9/5
E-Mail4.8/5
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.8/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.8/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Power Distributors and Dispatchers94% skill match
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health93% skill match
Respiratory Therapists93% skill match
Forensic Science Technicians92% skill match
Prepress Technicians and Workers91% skill match
Traffic Technicians91% skill match
Dental Hygienists91% skill match
Transportation Security Screeners91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
Persuasionimportance 3.4/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Instructingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Integrity
Dependability
Self-Control
Stress Tolerance
Cautiousness
Adaptability
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingMedium
SocialLow
ArtisticLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

Military Backgrounds That Lead Here

Military occupations commonly matched to this career, per the DMDC Military Crosswalk.

Living Marine Resource (SEI18)Coast Guard
Maritime Law Enforcement/PWCS (OAR13)Coast Guard

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.