Park Naturalists
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 19-1031.03United States
Plan, develop, and conduct programs to inform public of historical, natural, and scientific features of national, state, or local park.
- Median annual earnings
- $72,175
- Projected change
- +7.7%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 30.96K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
49.8% of the workforce
Growing to 33.34K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What park naturalists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Provide visitor services, such as explaining regulations, answering visitor requests, needs and complaints, and providing information about the park and surrounding areas.
- Assist with operations of general facilities, such as visitor centers.
- Confer with park staff to determine subjects and schedules for park programs.
- Conduct field trips to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions.
- Prepare and present illustrated lectures and interpretive talks about park features.
- Plan and organize public events at the park.
- Perform emergency duties to protect human life, government property, and natural features of park.
- Plan, organize and direct activities of seasonal staff members.
- Train staff on park programs.
- Develop environmental educational programs and curricula for schools.
- Construct historical, scientific, and nature visitor-center displays.
- Research stories regarding the area's natural history or environment.
- Prepare brochures and write newspaper articles.
- Compile and maintain official park photographic and information files.
- Take photographs and motion pictures for use in lectures and publications and to develop displays.
- Plan and develop audio-visual devices for public programs.
- Perform routine maintenance on park structures.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $44,975
- 25th percentile
- $55,789
- 50th percentile
- $72,175
- 75th percentile
- $91,898
- 90th percentile
- $114,712
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $72,175 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.7%faster than average
202530,962 jobs
2035 projected33,344 jobs
2,382 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 49.8%
- Associate degree
- 25.7%
- High school diploma or less
- 10.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 10.2%
- Some college
- 2.1%
- Certificate
- 1.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Park Rangers1,419 postings
- 02Park Workers267 postings
- 03Park Aides265 postings
- 04Rangers258 postings
- 05National Park Rangers241 postings
- 06Park Attendants219 postings
- 07Seasonal Associates205 postings
- 08Park Guides142 postings
- 09Park Ranger Assistants142 postings
- 10Naturalists125 postings
- 11Recreation Aides112 postings
- 12Park Technicians103 postings
- 13Park Managers99 postings
- 14Forest Rangers92 postings
- 15Park Specialists81 postings
- 16Interpretation Park Rangers80 postings
- 17Law Enforcement Rangers63 postings
- 18Park Naturalists63 postings
- 19Campground Attendants62 postings
- 20Supervisory Park Rangers62 postings
Top employers
- 01Student Conservation Association280 postings
- 02National Park Service274 postings
- 03Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania203 postings
- 04U.S National Park Service200 postings
- 05State of Florida186 postings
- 06Equity Lifestyle Properties97 postings
- 07Mhc Property Management96 postings
- 08State of Washington96 postings
- 09State of California82 postings
- 10Parks And Recreation Department77 postings
- 11State of Minnesota73 postings
- 12State Of Colorado72 postings
- 13Department Of Parks And Recreation69 postings
- 14State of Michigan69 postings
- 15State Of Maine66 postings
- 16American Red Cross65 postings
- 17Department Of Agriculture Conservation And Forestry64 postings
- 18Nys Department Of Civil Service63 postings
- 19United States Department of the Interior56 postings
- 20Department of Natural Resources53 postings
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