Range Managers

Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 19-1031.02United States

Research or study range land management practices to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$72,175

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+7.7%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Bachelor's degree

81.1% of the workforce

Employment
30.96K jobs

Growing to 33.34K by 2035

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Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What range managers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Regulate grazing, such as by issuing permits and checking for compliance with standards, and help ranchers plan and organize grazing systems to manage, improve, protect, and maximize the use of rangelands.
  • Manage forage resources through fire, herbicide use, or revegetation to maintain a sustainable yield from the land.
  • Coordinate with federal land managers and other agencies and organizations to manage and protect rangelands.
  • Measure and assess vegetation resources for biological assessment companies, environmental impact statements, and rangeland monitoring programs.
  • Maintain soil stability and vegetation for non-grazing uses, such as wildlife habitats and outdoor recreation.
  • Study grazing patterns to determine number and kind of livestock that can be most profitably grazed and to determine the best grazing seasons.
  • Offer advice to rangeland users on water management, forage production methods, and control of brush.
  • Mediate agreements among rangeland users and preservationists as to appropriate land use and management.
  • Plan and direct construction and maintenance of range improvements, such as fencing, corrals, stock-watering reservoirs, and soil-erosion control structures.
  • Study rangeland management practices and research range problems to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.
  • Tailor conservation plans to landowners' goals, such as livestock support, wildlife, or recreation.
  • Develop technical standards and specifications used to manage, protect, and improve the natural resources of range lands and related grazing lands.
  • Plan and implement revegetation of disturbed sites.
  • Study forage plants and their growth requirements to determine varieties best suited to particular range.

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
81.1%
Associate degree
9.7%
Master's or Professional degree
9.2%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Natural Resource Management
  • Agriculture
  • Biology
  • Land Tenure
  • Soil Science
  • Ecology
  • Forestry
  • Management Plans
  • Land Management
  • Conservation Planning
  • Project Management
  • Resource Management
  • Environmental Science
  • Wildlife Management
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Technical Assistance
  • Agronomy
  • Data Collection
  • Wildlife Biology
  • Field Research

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

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.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
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.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Natural Resources Specialists40 postings
  2. 02Natural Resources Managers9 postings
  3. 03Wildlife Specialists8 postings
  4. 04Rangeland Management Specialists6 postings
  5. 05Natural Resources Management Specialists5 postings
  6. 06Conservation Scientists4 postings
  7. 07Natural Resources Program Managers4 postings
  8. 08Change Specialists2 postings
  9. 09Conservation Specialists2 postings
  10. 10Natural Resources Planners2 postings
  11. 11Natural Resources Scientists2 postings
  12. 12Supervisory Natural Resources Specialists2 postings
  13. 13Human Resources Classification Specialists1 postings
  14. 14Natural Resources Specialist Rangers1 postings
  15. 15Resource Conservationists1 postings
  16. 16Wildlife Managers1 postings

Top employers

  1. 01State of Washington13 postings
  2. 02Texas State Soil And Water Conservation Board8 postings
  3. 03District Of Columbia Courts6 postings
  4. 04Natural Resources Conservation Service6 postings
  5. 05Pheasants Forever And Quail Forever In Nebraska5 postings
  6. 06State of Hawaii4 postings
  7. 07State of Montana4 postings
  8. 08Fairfax County3 postings
  9. 09The Trust For Tomorrow3 postings
  10. 10Hollow Oak Land Trust2 postings
  11. 11Jefferson County Colorado2 postings
  12. 12Texas Parks and Wildlife Department2 postings
  13. 13Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club1 postings
  14. 14City of Austin1 postings
  15. 15Cleveland Metroparks1 postings
  16. 16Conservation Corps North Bay1 postings
  17. 17Dean's Professional Services1 postings
  18. 18Environmental Jobs Network1 postings
  19. 19Ingenesis Group1 postings
  20. 20Jasper County Soil And Water Conservation District1 postings

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