Original Data · Updated Oct 28, 2026
Outdoor Job Pay Report 2026
What guide, ranch, fire and crew jobs actually post for pay, housing and season length, calculated from all 269 listings live on WildWork and updated as listings open and close.
- State Pay
- 56%
- 151 of 269 listings
- Include Housing
- 42%
- free or at a charge
- Median Hourly
- $18.62/hr
- 101 hourly listings
- Median Season
- 5.7 months
- 91 listings with dates
Key Findings
- 56% of the 269 outdoor job listings live on WildWork state their pay. 42% include housing and 24% include meals.
- $18.62/hr is the median posted hourly rate across 101 listings that pay by the hour.
- $32.33/hr is the highest median hourly rate by job type: Wildland Firefighter (3 listings).
- 83% of fishing guide listings include housing, the highest share of any job type (6 listings).
- 5.7 months is the median posted season, from 91 listings with start and end dates.
Pay by Job Type
Median posted rate by job type, in the unit the employer used. A job type appears once at least 3 listings report that unit; the number of listings is in brackets.
| Job Type | Listings | State Pay | Median Posted Pay | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Guide | 6 | 17% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Deckhand | 7 | 29% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Fishing Crew | 26 | 38% | $18.87/hr (5) $192,500/yr (3) | $17/hr to $32.33/hr |
| Hunting Guide | 10 | 10% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Backcountry Cook | 9 | 22% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Ranch Hand | 45 | 78% | $17.71/hr (28) $2,132/mo (6) | $11.81/hr to $19.71/hr |
| Cowboy | 22 | 50% | $16.87/hr (6) $2,132/mo (5) | $12.31/hr to $21.52/hr |
| Wrangler | 19 | 11% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Dude Ranch | 9 | 78% | $18/hr (7) | $15.16/hr to $19.50/hr |
| Caretaker | 1 | 0% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Packer | 6 | 17% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Trail Crew | 8 | 88% | $24.55/hr (3) $480/wk (3) | $19.50/hr to $26.42/hr |
| Rafting Guide | 8 | 0% | Too few posted rates | – |
| Wildland Firefighter | 12 | 92% | $4,469/mo (4) $66,763/yr (4) $32.33/hr (3) | $4,469/mo to $4,922/mo |
| Lodge Staff | 51 | 63% | $20/hr (30) | $15/hr to $31/hr |
| Park Ranger | 14 | 100% | $20.81/hr (10) $85,676/yr (4) | $12.25/hr to $29.76/hr |
| Fisheries & Hatchery | 9 | 89% | $23.58/hr (4) | $18/hr to $29.53/hr |
| Wildlife & Forestry | 7 | 100% | $600/wk (3) $22.45/hr (3) | $600/wk to $1,000/wk |
Housing, Meals and Season Length
Share of listings where the employer provides housing, by job type (job types with at least 3 listings). What that housing costs, listing by listing, is in the Seasonal Job Housing Report.
| Job Type | Listings | Housing | Meals | Median Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Guide | 6 | 83% | 67% | – |
| Deckhand | 7 | 57% | 43% | – |
| Fishing Crew | 26 | 54% | 35% | 3.7 months (4) |
| Hunting Guide | 10 | 60% | 50% | – |
| Backcountry Cook | 9 | 67% | 44% | 3.2 months (4) |
| Ranch Hand | 45 | 40% | 9% | 6.9 months (32) |
| Cowboy | 22 | 5% | 0% | 5.9 months (9) |
| Wrangler | 19 | 68% | 47% | 3.4 months (4) |
| Dude Ranch | 9 | 78% | 67% | 6.1 months (5) |
| Caretaker | 1 | 0% | 0% | – |
| Packer | 6 | 67% | 67% | – |
| Trail Crew | 8 | 25% | 25% | 7 months (4) |
| Rafting Guide | 8 | 50% | 0% | – |
| Wildland Firefighter | 12 | 0% | 0% | – |
| Lodge Staff | 51 | 35% | 27% | 4.5 months (13) |
| Park Ranger | 14 | 36% | 0% | – |
| Fisheries & Hatchery | 9 | 44% | 0% | 8.7 months (3) |
| Wildlife & Forestry | 7 | 29% | 0% | 5.7 months (3) |
By State
States with at least five live listings.
| State | Listings | State Pay | Housing | Median Posted Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 55 | 47% | 71% | $19.12/hr (14) $9,000/mo (7) $145,000/yr (5) |
| Colorado | 32 | 66% | 31% | $19.25/hr (18) |
| Washington | 30 | 57% | 20% | $19.07/hr (9) $4,469/mo (5) $81,318/yr (3) |
| Wyoming | 25 | 40% | 68% | $26.49/hr (6) $2,132/mo (4) |
| Montana | 21 | 52% | 57% | $18.48/hr (9) |
| Oregon | 15 | 47% | 13% | $18.75/hr (6) |
| Texas | 14 | 43% | 29% | $13.74/hr (4) |
| Idaho | 11 | 18% | 18% | Too few posted rates |
| Arizona | 7 | 100% | 71% | $16.80/hr (4) $480/wk (3) |
| California | 7 | 86% | 57% | $18.55/hr (4) |
| Utah | 6 | 100% | 0% | $16.50/hr (4) |
| Nevada | 6 | 100% | 50% | $84,444/yr (4) |
| Kansas | 6 | 17% | 17% | Too few posted rates |
| New Mexico | 5 | 100% | 60% | Too few posted rates |
| New York | 5 | 100% | 0% | $25/hr (5) |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
- Source. Every job listing live on WildWork at the time shown above. Listings come from employers who post here and from public employer career pages and job boards, and each links to the original posting.
- Posted, not earned. These are the rates employers advertise, not a survey of what workers take home after tips, overtime, bonuses or deductions.
- Units stay separate. Pay is grouped by the unit the employer used. A weekly conservation-corps stipend and an hourly wage are never converted into each other.
- Ranges use the midpoint. Listings without stated pay count in the totals and are left out of pay medians.
- Housing and Meals count listings that say the employer provides them, free or at a charge. Season length is the time between a listing’s stated start and end dates.
Use These Numbers
Free to quote with a link. Suggested citation: WildWork Outdoor Job Pay Report, Oct 28, 2026, wildwork.io/pay-report/