Grade logs or estimate the marketable content or value of logs or pulpwood in sorting yards, millpond, log deck, or similar locations. Inspect logs for defects or measure logs to determine volume. Excludes “Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products” (13-1021).
National median · BLS
$46,330
▼ -0.81%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$47,770
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
3,070
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Log Graders and Scalers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$34,950
25th
$37,780
Median (50th)
$46,330
75th
$56,250
90th — top pay
$62,400
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Log Graders and Scalers
BLS projects employment of log graders and scalers to decline 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
4,400 → 4,300
-100 jobs
Projected change
-2.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
29.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What log graders and scalers do
Evaluate log characteristics and determine grades, using established criteria.
Record data about individual trees or load volumes into tally books or hand-held collection terminals.
Measure felled logs or loads of pulpwood to calculate volume, weight, dimensions, and marketable value, using measuring devices and conversion tables.
Paint identification marks of specified colors on logs to identify grades or species, using spray cans, or call out grades to log markers.
Jab logs with metal ends of scale sticks, and inspect logs to ascertain characteristics or defects such as water damage, splits, knots, broken ends, rotten areas, twists, and curves.
Identify logs of substandard or special grade so that they can be returned to shippers, regraded, recut, or transferred for other processing.
Arrange for hauling of logs to appropriate mill sites.
Weigh log trucks before and after unloading, and record load weights and supplier identities.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Log Graders and Scalers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $46,330.
