Bailiffs
Median $56,600
Occupation · SOC 33-3031
Fish and Game Wardens: pay and where the jobs are
What fish and game wardens earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$74,060 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $74,950
- Median hourly wage
- $35.60
- Mean hourly wage
- $36.03
- Employment
- 5,770
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3031.
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See where your pay falls among fish and game wardens nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do fish and game wardens make?
The median annual wage for fish and game wardens was $74,060 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,990 and the highest-paid 10% more than $100,980. As an hourly rate, the median is $35.60. About 5,770 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($100,090), Iowa ($98,260) and Indiana ($93,990). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for fish and game wardens looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,990 | $24.51 | $4,249 | $3,596 |
| 25th percentile | $61,430 | $29.53 | $5,119 | $4,295 |
| Median | $74,060 | $35.60 | $6,172 | $5,078 |
| 75th percentile | $89,110 | $42.84 | $7,426 | $5,960 |
| 90th percentile | $100,980 | $48.55 | $8,415 | $6,656 |
Fish and Game Wardens: pay by state
35 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$85,315 take-home in national prices
2
$77,370 take-home in national prices
3
$73,392 take-home in national prices
Where a median fish and game warden paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 330 | $100,090 | $69,710 | $116,330 | $72,879 | $65,823 |
| Iowa | 120 | $98,260 | $63,400 | $98,260 | $74,874 | $85,315 |
| Indiana | 170 | $93,990 | $65,990 | $111,990 | $72,209 | $77,370 |
| Nevada | 50 | $91,750 | $64,040 | $110,200 | $73,376 | $73,392 |
| Maryland | 60 | $89,300 | $81,000 | $100,980 | $67,777 | $64,575 |
| Wisconsin | 150 | $89,110 | $61,530 | $89,110 | $67,738 | $71,989 |
| Michigan | 210 | $87,460 | $69,390 | $99,440 | $66,892 | $69,522 |
| Texas | 490 | $85,980 | $55,430 | $98,070 | $69,317 | $71,419 |
| New York | 390 | $80,060 | $66,190 | $96,050 | $61,049 | $56,568 |
| North Dakota | 30 | $79,520 | $61,430 | $103,250 | $64,481 | $72,484 |
| Georgia | 200 | $79,440 | $59,470 | $93,930 | $61,500 | $63,868 |
| Tennessee | 220 | $75,930 | $63,690 | $95,050 | $62,247 | $67,755 |
| Ohio | 160 | $75,880 | $56,620 | $100,710 | $60,568 | $65,286 |
| Vermont | 40 | $74,940 | $55,710 | $86,810 | $59,108 | $60,340 |
| Alabama | 160 | $74,290 | $44,450 | $88,510 | $57,994 | $65,292 |
| Wyoming | 70 | $74,060 | $50,150 | $77,960 | $60,931 | $65,736 |
| Maine | 190 | $73,260 | $57,080 | $79,330 | $56,735 | $58,459 |
| Idaho | 110 | $73,200 | $55,370 | $96,660 | $57,555 | $60,271 |
| New Jersey | 90 | $72,920 | $44,450 | $114,320 | $57,151 | $52,527 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $72,200 | $51,000 | $90,360 | $57,439 | $66,070 |
| Missouri | 150 | $70,030 | $52,890 | $76,170 | $55,742 | $61,378 |
| Hawaii | 110 | $69,250 | $60,670 | $101,300 | $53,742 | $48,878 |
| Oklahoma | 170 | $69,120 | $53,060 | $88,590 | $54,891 | $62,488 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $68,810 | $37,170 | $84,860 | $57,238 | $64,613 |
| Virginia | 180 | $66,540 | $56,700 | $83,550 | $52,629 | $52,054 |
| Connecticut | 90 | $65,400 | $55,280 | $76,920 | $51,555 | $49,759 |
| Nebraska | 70 | $63,000 | $55,040 | $83,930 | $50,814 | $56,395 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $62,530 | $60,540 | $75,430 | $50,448 | $56,368 |
| Kansas | 100 | $61,840 | $53,410 | $78,920 | $49,217 | $54,645 |
| North Carolina | 190 | $61,430 | $52,240 | $72,390 | $49,597 | $52,580 |
| Louisiana | 110 | $59,940 | $40,470 | $85,960 | $48,930 | $55,472 |
| Montana | 70 | $59,490 | $56,030 | $73,550 | $47,941 | $50,653 |
| Kentucky | 70 | $54,570 | $54,570 | $64,860 | $44,235 | $49,063 |
| Pennsylvania | 80 | $50,250 | $46,780 | $71,430 | $40,978 | $41,998 |
| Florida | 290 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $36,980 | $27,249 | $26,350 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.