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2026 Highest Paid Natural Resource Management Grads in the Rocky Mountains Region

[Natural Resource Management](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/natural-resource-management/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a natural resource management degree into the strongest early-career earnings.

College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying natural resource management schools.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Natural Resource Management Grads in the Rocky Mountains Region

2026 Highest Paid Natural Resource Management Grads in the Rocky Mountains Region

If you want to know which schools send natural resource management graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Natural Resource Management Graduates

1

Colorado State University Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO

$65,688 Average Early-Career Salary

Our analysis ranked Colorado State University Fort Collins the top school for natural resource management graduate earnings in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a public institution. Natural Resource Management graduates of Colorado State University Fort Collins earn a median of about $65,688 a year early in their careers.

2

Metropolitan State College Of Denver
Denver, CO

$64,712 Average Early-Career Salary

Metropolitan State College Of Denver produces some of the highest-paid graduates in natural resource management, landing the #2 spot this year. Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a public school located in the city of Denver. After graduating, natural resource management degree recipients from Metropolitan State College Of Denver typically earn about $64,712 annually.

3

University Of Idaho
Moscow, ID

$34,542 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at University Of Idaho earned it the #3 place for natural resource management. Set in the town of Moscow, University Of Idaho is a public institution. Students who complete the natural resource management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $34,542.

View All Natural Resource Management Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their natural resource management graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.