Arborist Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in the United States was $50,960 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers in this occupation and area earned between $44,840 and $63,900. This is the broader occupation used for Arborist, not a separately surveyed rate for that title or credential.
Broader occupation Our title "Arborist" is reported by BLS as SOC 37-3013 Tree Trimmers and Pruners. BLS groups Arborist within Tree Trimmers and Pruners; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages: Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013)
Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013), the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $37,940, half earned less than the median of $50,960, 90% earned less than $80,310 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,940 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $44,840 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $50,960 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $63,900 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $80,310 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $55,970 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages: Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013)
Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013), the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $18.24, half earned less than the median of $24.50, 90% earned less than $38.61 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.24 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $21.56 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $24.50 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.72 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $38.61 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $26.91 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 55,160 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 37-3013 Tree Trimmers and Pruners, National.
What BLS wages measure. OEWS estimates describe straight-time gross wages, not just base salary and not total compensation. They include commissions and production bonuses. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. Discuss travel, per diem, tool and truck allowances separately. Percentiles describe the occupation's wage distribution, not seniority, plant size, job complexity or credentials. Licensing, union agreements and prevailing-wage obligations depend on the work and assignment; these figures do not establish a premium for them.
Official BLS wage definitions | Source dates and methodology
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
New York City and Northern New Jersey share the New York-Newark-Jersey City BLS area and one estimate, shown once below.
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $48,540 | $40,420 to $50,110 | 680 | 0.68 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $27,040 | $27,040 to $47,200 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $42,020 | $37,580 to $48,120 | 300 | 0.6 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $50,040 | $47,770 to $60,250 | 260 | 0.98 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $65,130 | $52,830 to $80,700 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $39,800 | $36,830 to $49,220 | 800 | 0.56 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $39,660 | $38,740 to $45,160 | 2,120 | 1.81 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $64,260 | $46,780 to $73,570 | 630 | 0.4 |
How does Arborist pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 37-3013, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 22 | $61,110 | Annual | 1,040 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $61,110 | Annual | 1,040 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | $61,110 | Annual | 1,040 |
| Construction | 23 | $59,500 | Annual | 470 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $57,410 | Annual | 260 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $56,640 | Annual | 210 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $59,860 | Annual | 190 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $59,860 | Annual | 190 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 561700 | $50,520 | Annual | 49,520 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Irrigation Foreman (47-1011)Tree Crew Foreman (47-1011)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Tree Trimmers and Pruners. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $77,460 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 1.31 |
| New Haven, CT | $76,450 | 40 | 0.43 | 1.27 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $75,980 | 990 | 1.18 | 1.02 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $75,570 | 1,160 | 2.7 | 1.25 |
| Syracuse, NY | $75,140 | 130 | 1.18 | 1.42 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $74,580 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 1.47 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $73,570 | 190 | 2.57 | 1.29 |
| Salem, OR | $71,190 | 100 | 1.44 | 1.29 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $70,550 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 1.15 |
| Bend, OR | $70,250 | 40 | 1.05 | 1.29 |
| Cleveland, TN | $39,950 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.99 |
| Evansville, IN | $39,890 | 60 | 1.22 | 0.86 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $39,800 | 800 | 0.56 | 0.77 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $39,660 | 2,120 | 1.81 | 0.80 |
| Mobile, AL | $39,480 | 70 | 1.16 | 0.84 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $38,990 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.80 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $38,650 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.78 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $36,490 | 220 | 0.56 | 0.78 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | $34,410 | 50 | 1.15 | 0.79 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $27,040 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.55 |
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist), the published median for SOC 37-3013, Tree Trimmers and Pruners, is $50,960 per year. The middle half of the Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) wage distribution runs from $44,840 to $63,900, a width of $19,060 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) comparison used for Arborist, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA reports $60,440 per year while Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX reports $39,660 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) reference for Arborist pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Tree Trimmers and Pruners, read alongside Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist), are Utilities at $61,110 per year (NAICS 22); Utilities at $61,110 per year (NAICS 221000); Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $61,110 per year (NAICS 221100). Those Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) median was $50,430 per year in May 2024, compared with $50,960 in May 2025, a published difference of $530. That Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $50,430 and $50,960 Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before using $50,960 per year from Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) to calibrate an offer, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) BLS comparison measures straight-time gross wages, including commissions and production bonuses, but excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) is broader: BLS groups Arborist within Tree Trimmers and Pruners; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) opening, the work checks include ISA Certified Arborist or Tree Worker Climber Specialist; TCIA CTSP; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) buyer?
Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) has a published middle-half band of $44,840 to $63,900, a width of $19,060 per year, with median $50,960. An offer inside that Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist)?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist). Comparing those Tree Trimmers and Pruners tables with the $50,960 Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist)?
Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) uses national industry rows for SOC 37-3013, not local sector-specific wages. Utilities leads the selected sortable rows at $61,110 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist).
What changed between the releases for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist)?
Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) moved from $50,430 in May 2024 to $50,960 in May 2025. These Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013) in National (reference for Arborist) published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 37-3013. Published annual median: $50,430 (May 2024) and $50,960 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.