Forest Firefighting & Investigation

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2023
150
growing 97.4%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$3,941
growing 4.98%
Average Wage
$80,363
growing 4.41%
People in Workforce
1.26M
growing 3.53%
Average Employee Age
40.2
growing 0.668%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of Forest Firefighting & Investigation degree recipients are Victorville, CA, Auburn, WA, and Grand Junction, CO. In 2023, the locations with a relatively high number of Forest Firefighting & Investigation degree recipients are Ruidoso, NM, Victorville, CA, and Auburn, WA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Forest Firefighting & Investigation is a certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

Protective ServicesFire Protection

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Forest Firefighting & Investigation and the types of students that study this field. Victor Valley College awards the most degrees in Forest Firefighting & Investigation in the US, having also the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation, followed by Green River College.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Forest Firefighting & Investigation programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (12 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 2-year (78 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation (2023)
  1. Victor Valley College
    57 degrees awarded
  2. Green River College
    14 degrees awarded
  3. Colorado Mesa University
    13 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation, is Public, 2-year (78 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Forest Firefighting & Investigation programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$3,941
Median In-State Public

Victor Valley College has the most Forest Firefighting & Investigation degree recipients, with 57 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution
  1. Victor Valley College
    1.54%
  2. Green River College
    0.758%
  3. Colorado Mesa University
    0.615%

Out of all institutions that offer Forest Firefighting & Investigation programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Victor Valley College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation, with 1.54%.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation
  1. San Bernardino County, CA
    57 degrees awarded
  2. Los Angeles County, CA
    17 degrees awarded
  3. King County, WA
    14 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation by year.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Protective Services graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Protective Services majors is $80,363 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

The industry that employs the most Protective Services majors is Justice, public order, & safety activities , though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Not specified metal industries.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
$80,363
Average Wage in Workforce
± $1,583
4.41%
1 Year Growth
± 2.68%

The average salary for Protective Services majors is $80,363 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Protective Services majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
Highest Paying Pumas
  1. Harris County (Southeast)--Pasadena City (North & Central)-Inside Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX
    $382,047
  2. Chicago City (Central)--Near North Side, Loop & Near South Side PUMA, IL
    $325,561
  3. Ventura County (Southeast)--Simi Valley City PUMA, CA
    $303,321

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Protective Services majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Protective Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common occupations for Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Protective Services majors working as Probation officers & correctional treatment specialists, Detectives & criminal investigators, and Firstline supervisors of police & detectives.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Protective Services majors are Podiatrists, Physicians, and Surgeons.

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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
1.26M
2023 Workforce
± 27,398
3.53%
1 Year Growth
± 3.01%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.53%, from 1.21M in 2022 to 1.26M in 2023.

The largest single share of Protective Services graduates go on to work as Police officers (10.7%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Protective Services by share of the total number of graduates.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common industries that employ Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , uninformed, and Elementary & secondary schools.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The highest paying industries of Protective Services majors, by average wage, are Not specified metal industries, Prefabricated wood buildings & mobile homes, and Farm supplies merchant wholesalers.

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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
1.26M
2023 Workforce
± 27,398
3.53%
1 Year Growth
± 3.01%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.53%, from 1.21M in 2022 to 1.26M in 2023.

The industry which employs the most Protective Services graduates by share is Justice, public order, & safety activities , followed by uninformed. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Protective Services.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
PUMAS with a relatively high number of Protective Services majors
  1. Plymouth County (West)--Bridgewater, Abington & Whitman PUMA, MA
    3.56
  2. Prince William County (East) PUMA, VA
    3.47
  3. El Paso County (Outside El Paso City)--Horizon City PUMA, TX
    3.36

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Protective Services majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Protective Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Protective Services in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Protective Services is 40.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years. Male employees are more likely to hold Protective Services degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Protective Services (89 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
40.2
Average Age in 2023
± 0.255 Years
0.668%
1 Year Change
± 0.902%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Protective Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 27 and 31 years old, which represent 3.31% and 3.3% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Forest Firefighting & Investigation are Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associates Degree, and Certificate of less than 1 academic year.

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Protective Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (81.3%)
Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Forest Firefighting & Investigation.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    89 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    50 degrees awarded
  3. Unknown
    4 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Forest Firefighting & Investigation for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Sex

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Forest Firefighting & Investigation.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forest Firefighting & Investigation is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. Mexico
    15,340 degree recipients
  2. India
    4,826 degree recipients
  3. Dominican Republic
    4,367 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Caribbean, Not Specified
    9.75 times more than expected
  2. Zambia
    7.36 times more than expected
  3. American Samoa
    5.42 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Caribbean, Not Specified that hold Protective Services degrees (9.75 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (15,340 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Forest Firefighting & Investigation field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Forest Firefighting & Investigation majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Forest Firefighting & Investigation majors need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and Equipment Selection.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Forest Firefighting & Investigation majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Equipment Maintenance is very distinctive for majors, but the Critical Thinking, Coordination, and Monitoring are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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