Foresters Salary
Foresters in Columbus, OH make a median of $71,340 a year, or about $34.3 an hour. The range runs from $58K at the entry level to $87K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $74,725 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,430/month, about 30.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $71K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). 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 Columbus
Foresters pay in Columbus tracks closely to the national median, $71K locally vs. $76K nationwide, a 7% difference. Rent runs $1,430/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) 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 Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood | $65K | $68K |
| Lansing-East Lansing | $68K | $71K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level foresters (10th percentile) start around $58K. Mid-career wages sit at $71K. Top earners bring in $87K or more, a $29K 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 |
| Arkansas | $69K | -9% | 130 |
| New Mexico | $69K | -9% | 50 |
| Wyoming | $68K | -11% | 60 |
| Kansas | $68K | -12% | 40 |
| Montana | $67K | -12% | 240 |
| Arizona | $67K | -12% | 70 |
| 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 with published data
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 Columbus numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a forester afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
Yes — at the median salary of $71K, rent takes 29.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for foresters in Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new foresters typically earn — is $58K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,490/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 41% 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 Columbus?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $71K locally vs. $76K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for foresters?
Columbus pays $71K median vs. the U.S. average of $76K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — below the national median.
How much do foresters make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $71,340 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,160, and experienced foresters can clear $86,710. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $71K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,776/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 29.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a foresters salary go in Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (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 $74,725 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.