Fish and Game Wardens

OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin

Overview

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

Explore Pathways

Titles for this career often contain these words

SOURCES:

2018 SOC codes

2020 CareerOneStop

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Responsibilities and activities

Police officers, detectives, and criminal investigators typically do the following:

Respond to emergency and nonemergency calls
Patrol assigned areas, observing people and activities
Conduct traffic stops and issue citations
Search restricted-access databases for vehicle or other records and warrants
Obtain and serve warrants for arrests, searches, and other purposes
Arrest people suspected of committing crimes
Collect and secure evidence from crime scenes
Observe the activities of suspects
Write detailed reports and fill out forms
Prepare cases for legal proceedings and testify in court

Job duties differ by employer and function, but police and detectives are required by law to write detailed reports and keep meticulous records. Most carry law enforcement equipment such as radios, handcuffs, and guns.

The following are examples of types of police and detectives:

Detectives and criminal investigators are uniformed or plainclothes officers who gather facts and collect evidence related to criminal cases. They conduct interviews, examine records, monitor suspects, and participate in raids and arrests. Detectives typically investigate serious crimes, such as assaults, robberies, and homicides. In large police departments, detectives usually specialize in investigating one type of crime, such as homicide or fraud. They are typically assigned cases on a rotating basis and work on them until an arrest and trial are completed or until the case is dropped.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, sometimes called special agents, investigate and pursue criminal cases that violate federal law. FBI agents are responsible for crimes against public agencies, such as Medicare fraud, or that cross state lines. In addition, federal agents may join or take over investigations of certain types of state cases, such as those related to prescription drugs or large sums of money.

Fish and game wardens enforce fishing, hunting, and boating laws. They patrol fishing and hunting areas, conduct search and rescue operations, investigate complaints and accidents, and educate the public about laws pertaining to the outdoors. Federal fish and game wardens are often referred to as Federal Wildlife Officers.

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers are the most common type of police and detectives, and they have general law enforcement duties. They wear uniforms that allow the public to easily recognize them as police officers. They have regular patrols and also respond to emergency and nonemergency calls. During patrols, officers observe people and activities to ensure order and safety.

Some police officers work only on a specific type of crime, such as narcotics. Officers, especially those working in large departments, may work in special units, such as mounted (horseback), motorcycle, or special weapons and tactics (SWAT). Typically, officers must work as patrol officers for a certain number of years before they are appointed to a special unit.

Transit and railroad police patrol train yards and transportation hubs, such as subway stations. They protect property, employees, and passengers from crimes such as thefts and robberies. They remove trespassers from railroad and transit properties and check IDs of people who try to enter secure areas.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Salary

Median salary: $58,040 annually

Half of those employed in this career earn between $44,250 and $70,270.

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Context: Median Salary

How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Fewer details

Salary growth for fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers

Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.

Experience quotient percentile

Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?

Salary distribution

Number employed

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

About Fish and Game Wardens

How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.

Employee has health insurance

Employer is providing health insurance

SOURCES:

2018-2020 CPS

2019 ACS microdata

Worker concerns

Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of fish and game wardens who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.

Consequence of Error (89%)
Responsible for Others' Health (80%)
Time Pressure (79%)
High Conflict Frequency (77%)
Unpleasant or Angry People (72%)
Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (54%)
Hazardous Equipment (47%)
Exposed to Contaminants (45%)

SOURCES:

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Personality and skills

Can you see yourself in the ranks of Fish and Game Wardens? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.

Communication skills

Police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident.

Empathy

Police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public.

Good judgment

Police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems.

Leadership skills

Police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies.

Perceptiveness

Officers, detectives, and fish and game wardens must be able to anticipate people’s reactions and understand why they act a certain way.

Physical stamina

Officers and detectives must be in good physical shape, both to pass required tests for entry into the field and to keep up with the daily rigors of the job.

Physical strength

Police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Education pathways to this career

Education attained by fish and game wardens

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), fish and game wardens typically hold a bachelor's degree.

Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.

Details: Education and training recommended for fish and game wardens

Police and detective applicants must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, although some federal agencies and police departments may require that applicants have completed college coursework or a college degree. Many community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities offer programs in law enforcement and criminal justice. Knowledge of a foreign language is an asset in many federal agencies and geographical regions.

Fish and game wardens typically need a bachelor’s degree; desirable fields of study include wildlife science, biology, or natural resources management. Federal Wildlife Officers and some state-level fish and game wardens typically do not need a bachelor’s degree.

Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation may require prospective detectives and investigators to have a bachelor's degree.

Many applicants for entry-level police jobs have completed some college coursework, and a significant number are college graduates.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Education level of Fish and Game Wardens and Parking Enforcement Officers

Only 35% of fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education attained by fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers

None

High School

Some College

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Doctorate

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Award levels

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Programs recommended by the Department of Education

The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click the program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.

Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services

127

SOURCES:

2010 CIP Codes

Where are the jobs

State-by-state employment numbers

Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.

Select a state to see local area details

Number of Fish and Game Wardens and Parking Enforcement Officers per 1,000 workers (ACS)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Job density versus job count

Which states hire the most fish and game wardens? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as fish and game wardens. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.

Salaries by state

Let's get a feel for where fish and game wardens earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...

Median salary versus state ratio

We use two methods to compare salaries across states:

In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers.

We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.

The darkest shading corresponds to states in which fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.

Select a state to see local area details

Location-adjusted median salary for Fish and Game Wardens and Parking Enforcement Officers (ACS for all specialties)

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

2019 BEA Regional Price Parities

Employment

17% of Fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers are working part time.

We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 17% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 61% of careers.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Employer types

This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.

Employers of undefined (ACS)

Private for-profit

Private not-for-profit

Local government

State government

Federal government

Self-employed incorporated

Self-employed not incorporated

Working without pay

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Distribution: Salaries of fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers by type of employer

Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Gender

Fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers and gender

With 30% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 57% of careers.

Gender of Fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers

Men (70%)

Women (30%)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Distribution: salaries by gender

Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.

We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Context: Women in the workforce

How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Context: Salary inequity

The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers, with the median salary for men 18% higher than the median salary for women.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Race/Origin

Race and origin of Fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers

This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers.

Race/origin of fish and game wardens and parking enforcement officers

White (72% )

Black (17% )

Asian (4% )

Other (3% )

American Indian (2% )

Multiracial (1% )

Pacific Islander (1% )

Hispanic (1% )

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Distribution: salaries by race/origin

Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.

We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata