Fish and Game Wardens
Also called: Game Warden, State Wildlife Officer, Wildlife Conservation Officer, Wildlife OfficerPatrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 5.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $74,290 | $58,100 to $80,110 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $72,200 | $58,340 to $85,030 | 80 |
| California | $100,090 | $74,790 to $110,780 | 330 |
| Connecticut | $65,400 | $63,410 to $76,920 | 90 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 60 |
| Florida | $31,200 | $31,200 to $33,760 | 290 |
| Georgia | $79,440 | $68,040 to $92,420 | 200 |
| Hawaii | $69,250 | $60,670 to $94,100 | 110 |
| Idaho | $73,200 | $65,730 to $86,740 | 110 |
| Indiana | $93,990 | $75,990 to $111,990 | 170 |
| Iowa | $98,260 | $77,980 to $98,260 | 120 |
| Kansas | $61,840 | $54,680 to $71,590 | 100 |
| Kentucky | $54,570 | $54,570 to $59,040 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $59,940 | $46,140 to $68,710 | 110 |
| Maine | $73,260 | $65,150 to $76,080 | 190 |
| Maryland | $89,300 | $85,050 to $96,110 | 60 |
| Michigan | $87,460 | $76,420 to $87,460 | 210 |
| Missouri | $70,030 | $54,270 to $73,650 | 150 |
| Montana | $59,490 | $57,300 to $61,470 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $63,000 | $58,450 to $74,400 | 70 |
| Nevada | $91,750 | $84,090 to $95,260 | 50 |
| New Jersey | $72,920 | $51,360 to $101,500 | 90 |
| New York | $80,060 | $73,130 to $90,960 | 390 |
| North Carolina | $61,430 | $52,240 to $72,390 | 190 |
| North Dakota | $79,520 | $67,740 to $88,660 | 30 |
| Ohio | $75,880 | $62,380 to $87,170 | 160 |
| Oklahoma | $69,120 | $62,980 to $83,570 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,250 | $46,780 to $57,350 | 80 |
| South Dakota | $68,810 | $62,320 to $77,960 | 100 |
| Tennessee | $75,930 | $66,550 to $83,960 | 220 |
| Texas | $85,980 | $80,260 to $89,970 | 490 |
| Vermont | $74,940 | $61,960 to $81,730 | 40 |
| Virginia | $66,540 | $57,770 to $78,220 | 180 |
| West Virginia | $62,530 | $61,320 to $66,830 | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $89,110 | $72,130 to $89,110 | 150 |
| Wyoming | $74,060 | $74,060 to $75,070 | 70 |
Nationally: $74,060. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems. | Not published |
| Not much | Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in search-and-rescue operations. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide advice or information to park or reserve visitors. | Not published |
| Not much | Compile and present evidence for court actions. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| AI alone | Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary. | Not published |
| AI + software | Address schools, civic groups, sporting clubs, or the media to disseminate information concerning wildlife conservation and regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve warrants and make arrests. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange for disposition of fish or game illegally taken or possessed. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Promote or provide hunter or trapper safety training. | Not published |
| Not much | Seize equipment used in fish and game law violations. | Not published |
| Not much | Recommend revisions in hunting and trapping regulations or in animal management programs so that wildlife balances or habitats can be maintained. | Not published |
| AI + software | Issue licenses, permits, or other documentation. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect commercial operations relating to fish or wildlife, recreation, or protected areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Survey areas and compile figures of bag counts of hunters to determine the effectiveness of control measures. | Not published |
| Not much | Design or implement control measures to prevent or counteract damage caused by wildlife or people. | Not published |
| Not much | Investigate crop, property, or habitat damage or destruction or instances of water pollution to determine causes and to advise property owners of preventive measures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collect and report information on populations or conditions of fish and wildlife in their habitats, availability of game food or cover, or suspected pollution. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform facilities maintenance work, such as constructing or repairing structures or controlling weeds or pests. | Not published |
| AI + software | Document the extent of crop, property, or habitat damage and make financial loss estimates or compensation recommendations. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in firefighting efforts. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- #22 Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Maintain safety or security | |||
| Issue documentation | |||
| Investigate incidents or accidents | |||
| Record information about environmental conditions | |||
| Record information about legal matters | |||
| Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities |
Show all 19 activities
| Investigate criminal or legal matters | |||
| Maintain facilities or equipment | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Perform court-related or other legal administrative activities | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Protect people or property from threats such as fires or flooding | |||
| Intervene in crisis situations or emergencies | |||
| Teach safety procedures or standards to others | |||
| Present information in legal proceedings |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for fish and game wardens specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 638 moves out
- 1 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 7%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
- 3 Correctional Officers and Jailers Moderate -7.4% 4%
- 4 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Where people moved in from
of 938 moves in
- 1 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 13%
- 2 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 7%
- 3 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 6%
- 4 Animal Caretakers Moderate +12.1% 5%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
1 program: Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (FISH & GAME WARDEN (Gov Ser)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Fish and Game Wardens” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/33-3031.00