Conservation Scientists vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: $73K vs $90K Median Pay

Conservation Scientists vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: what changes?

Consider Conservation Scientists if you want to manage, improve, and protect natural resources to maximize their use without damaging the environment. Consider Occupational Health and Safety Specialists if you would rather review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Conservation Scientists and Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Conservation Scientists

National median pay (2025): $73,010
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation objectives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,100

Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Conservation Scientists brief

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

National median pay (2025): $90,150
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 17,100

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Occupational Health and Safety Specialists brief

How the national numbers differ

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at 17,100 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Conservation Scientists.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at 18.5% projected growth, compared with 5.3% projected growth for Conservation Scientists.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on median pay

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at $90,150, compared with $73,010 for Conservation Scientists.

50.9/ 100

Conservation Scientists

74.3/ 100

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Conservation Scientists vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Dimension	Conservation Scientists	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
Median pay (2025)	$73,010	$90,150
Pay percentile	62.8 percentile	77.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.3%	18.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,100	17,100
2025 employment	27,700	143,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Conservation Scientists brief Read Occupational Health and Safety Specialists brief

Conservation Scientists vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Conservation Scientists

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

How the national numbers differ

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on median pay

Conservation Scientists vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

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