Fish and Game Wardens Salary
Fish and Game Wardens in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN make a median of $75,990 a year, or about $36.53 an hour. The range runs from $66K at the entry level to $112K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.7), that's roughly $79,404 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,473/month, or 28.9% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $76K actually covers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.7). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About fish and game wardens
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What this looks like in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Fish and game wardens pay in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood tracks closely to the national median, $76K locally vs. $74K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,473/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.7% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.7) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Entry-level fish and game wardens (10th percentile) start around $66K. Mid-career wages sit at $76K. Top earners bring in $112K or more, a $46K spread from bottom to top.
Fish and Game Wardens pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Fish and Game Wardens salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $100K | +35% | 330 |
| Iowa | $98K | +33% | 120 |
| Indiana | $94K | +27% | 170 |
| Nevada | $92K | +24% | 50 |
| Maryland | $89K | +21% | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $89K | +20% | 150 |
| Michigan | $87K | +18% | 210 |
| Texas | $86K | +16% | 490 |
| New York | $80K | +8% | 390 |
| North Dakota | $80K | +7% | 30 |
| Georgia | $79K | +7% | 200 |
| Tennessee | $76K | +3% | 220 |
| Ohio | $76K | +2% | 160 |
| Vermont | $75K | +1% | 40 |
| Alabama | $74K | +0% | 160 |
| Wyoming | $74K | +0% | 70 |
| Maine | $73K | -1% | 190 |
| Idaho | $73K | -1% | 110 |
| New Jersey | $73K | -2% | 90 |
| Arkansas | $72K | -3% | 80 |
| Missouri | $70K | -5% | 150 |
| Hawaii | $69K | -6% | 110 |
| Oklahoma | $69K | -7% | 170 |
| South Dakota | $69K | -7% | 100 |
| Virginia | $67K | -10% | 180 |
| Connecticut | $65K | -12% | 90 |
| Nebraska | $63K | -15% | 70 |
| West Virginia | $63K | -16% | 110 |
| Kansas | $62K | -17% | 100 |
| North Carolina | $61K | -17% | 190 |
| Louisiana | $60K | -19% | 110 |
| Montana | $59K | -20% | 70 |
| Kentucky | $55K | -26% | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $50K | -32% | 80 |
| Florida | $31K | -58% | 290 |
Showing 1–10 of 35 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track fish and game wardens salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a fish and game warden afford a 2BR apartment alone in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Yes — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 29.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,473/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for fish and game wardens in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new fish and game wardens typically earn — is $66K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,400/month. At HUD’s $1,473/month FMR, rent would take 33% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is fish and game warden a high-paying job in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $76K locally vs. $74K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood compare to the national average for fish and game wardens?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $74K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do fish and game wardens make in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?
The median is $75,990 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,990, and experienced fish and game wardens can clear $111,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $76K enough to live in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,961/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,473/month, which eats 29.7% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a fish and game wardens salary go in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.7 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median fish and game wardens salary is worth about $79,404 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do fish and game wardens get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.