Foresters Salary
Foresters in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC make a median of $78,800 a year, or about $37.89 an hour. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $100K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.35), that's roughly $80,945 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,686/month, about 32% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $79K get you in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia’s Regional Price Parity (97.35). 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 foresters
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What this looks like in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Foresters pay in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia tracks closely to the national median, $79K locally vs. $76K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,686/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 33.6% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.35) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for foresters in metros near Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary | $50K | $51K |
| Richmond | $66K | $68K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $64K | $64K |
| Columbia | $90K | $96K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Entry-level foresters (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $79K. Top earners bring in $100K or more, a $53K spread from bottom to top.
Foresters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Foresters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $107K | +40% | 820 |
| Massachusetts | $90K | +17% | 130 |
| Alaska | $87K | +14% | 80 |
| South Carolina | $87K | +14% | 250 |
| Maryland | $86K | +13% | 120 |
| Connecticut | $85K | +11% | 60 |
| Iowa | $83K | +9% | 50 |
| Illinois | $82K | +8% | 220 |
| Oregon | $81K | +7% | 670 |
| Vermont | $81K | +6% | 80 |
| Texas | $80K | +5% | 210 |
| Alabama | $80K | +4% | 240 |
| Washington | $78K | +3% | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $78K | +2% | 310 |
| North Carolina | $78K | +2% | N/A |
| Georgia | $77K | +1% | 370 |
| Minnesota | $76K | +0% | 390 |
| Colorado | $76K | +0% | 210 |
| Michigan | $76K | -1% | 340 |
| Utah | $75K | -2% | 40 |
| District of Columbia | $75K | -2% | N/A |
| New York | $74K | -4% | 280 |
| Ohio | $73K | -4% | 160 |
| Tennessee | $72K | -6% | 120 |
| Virginia | $72K | -6% | 340 |
| Mississippi | $71K | -7% | 110 |
| New Mexico | $69K | -9% | 50 |
| Arkansas | $69K | -9% | 130 |
| Wyoming | $68K | -11% | 60 |
| Kansas | $68K | -12% | 40 |
| Arizona | $67K | -12% | 70 |
| Montana | $67K | -12% | 240 |
| Maine | $66K | -13% | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $66K | -14% | 570 |
| New Hampshire | $65K | -15% | 110 |
| Idaho | $65K | -15% | 280 |
| South Dakota | $64K | -16% | 120 |
| Florida | $64K | -16% | 380 |
| Missouri | $63K | -17% | 120 |
| West Virginia | $63K | -18% | 100 |
| Indiana | $61K | -20% | 160 |
| Kentucky | $56K | -26% | 120 |
| Nevada | $51K | -33% | N/A |
| Oklahoma | $51K | -33% | 120 |
Showing 1–10 of 44 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track foresters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a forester afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $79K, rent takes 33.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,686/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for foresters in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new foresters typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,824/month. At HUD’s $1,686/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is forester a high-paying job in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $79K locally vs. $76K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia compare to the national average for foresters?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia pays $79K median vs. the U.S. average of $76K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.35), the purchasing-power equivalent is $81K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do foresters make in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC?
The median is $78,800 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,070, and experienced foresters can clear $99,940. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $79K enough to live in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,023/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,686/month, which eats 33.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a foresters salary go in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia has a Regional Price Parity of 97.35 (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 foresters salary is worth about $80,945 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do foresters 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.