Arborist
Assesses, prunes and removes trees, often at height near structures. Certification and insurance separate the trade from the truck.
- Pay band (est.)
- $50k–$79k
- Time to competence
- 3 years
- Licence
- Required
- Setting
- field
- Leverage
- medium
- Place constraint
- low
- Physical demand
- 88/100
- Hours burden
- 58/100
Factor percentiles
Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.
- Play54th
Absorbing rather than merely paid.
- Specific knowledge22th
A combination of skills that is hard to copy.
- Leverage49th
Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.
- Demand48th
Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.
- Pay13th
Mid-career floor and the range above it.
- Body8th
Inverse of physical demand and hours.
- Autonomy36th
Control of methods and time.
- People fit63th
Distance from your preferred people level.
- Place flexibility54th
Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.
- Time to skill91th
Inverse of years to competence.
- Meaning load50th
Closeness to the families you marked as meaningful. Your mapping, not ours.
- Downside tolerance17th
Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.
Downside
One of the highest injury rates in outdoor work.
Examine this against your weights
The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.
- Place constraint is low. Where you live is analysed at locationistics.com.
- Hours burden is 58/100 and people intensity 40/100. Who you are with is analysed at relationistics.com.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2024, Tree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013): median $50,430, 90th percentile $78,900. Outlook from BLS 2025-35 projections, +4.2%. Other scores editorial. All figures are estimates for comparison.