Texas / Parks and Wildlife Department

Agency file

Parks and Wildlife Department

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Parks and Wildlife Department protects natural resources and the environment — conservation, parks and wildlife, and environmental regulation.

In 2026, this agency had 3,257 employees with median total compensation of $64,469; the highest distinct record was $268,230.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $230.3M
Employees: 3,257
Median total: $64,469
Highest record: $268,230

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$9,148$138,581+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 3,257 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($64,469) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $70,695 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$45,360

$51,293

$64,469

$85,989

$98,085

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $98,085 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $45,360. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Game Warden

378 · $89,789

Maintenance Specialist III

187 · $47,048

Customer Service Representative I

180 · $40,038

Natural Resources Specialist IV

95 · $81,322

Fish and Wildlife Technician II

93 · $54,576

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$220.3M —	3,220 —	$63,741 —
2026	$230.3M ▲ 4.5%	3,257 ▲ 1.1%	$64,469 ▲ 1.1%

Compare

Similar departments

Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.

Soil and Water Conservation Board Texas47% match
Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Maine44% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Elijah Basnett

Administrative Assistant III/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$22,989

Base pay: $22,989
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $22,989
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 154
Hire Date: Apr 17, 2023
Monthly Pay: $1,916
Pay Rate: $22
State Employee Number: 964244

Elijah Basnett is a Administrative Assistant III at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2026 total compensation came to $22,989.

Kayla Peebles

Training and Development Assistant/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$21,769

Base pay: $21,769
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,769
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1780
Hire Date: Aug 29, 2021
Monthly Pay: $1,814
Pay Rate: $21
State Employee Number: 87196

Kayla Peebles works as a Training and Development Assistant for Parks and Wildlife Department. Their status is crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. Kayla earned $21,769 in 2025.

Rob Burrus

Training and Development Assistant/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$21,762

Base pay: $21,762
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,762
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1780
Hire Date: Aug 17, 2022
Monthly Pay: $1,813
Pay Rate: $21
State Employee Number: 1480893

Rob Burrus is a Training and Development Assistant at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2025 total compensation came to $21,762.

Jennifer Lara

Training and Development Assistant/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$21,762

Base pay: $21,762
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,762
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1780
Hire Date: May 25, 2023
Monthly Pay: $1,813
Pay Rate: $21
State Employee Number: 1638340

Jennifer Lara is a Training and Development Assistant at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2025 total compensation came to $21,762.

Aubrey Mcwilliams

Training and Development Assistant/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$21,759

Base pay: $21,759
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,759
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1780
Hire Date: Apr 23, 2024
Monthly Pay: $1,813
Pay Rate: $21
State Employee Number: 1705185

Aubrey Mcwilliams works as a Training and Development Assistant for Parks and Wildlife Department. Their status is crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. Aubrey earned $21,759 in 2025.

Paul Testa

Maintenance Specialist I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$21,156

Base pay: $21,156
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,156
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 9041
Hire Date: May 6, 2022
Monthly Pay: $1,763
Pay Rate: $20
State Employee Number: 85561

Paul Testa is a Maintenance Specialist I at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2026 total compensation came to $21,156.

Billy Murff

Fish and Wildlife Technician I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$21,154

Base pay: $21,154
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $21,154
Employment type: Ctp - Classified Temporary Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: H

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 2688
Hire Date: Sep 16, 2024
Monthly Pay: $1,763
Pay Rate: $20
State Employee Number: 1423864

Billy Murff works as a Fish and Wildlife Technician I for Parks and Wildlife Department. Their status is ctp - classified temporary part-time, 0.5 FTE. Billy earned $21,154 in 2026.

Sophia Smith

Customer Service Representative I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$20,018

Base pay: $20,018
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,018
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 132
Hire Date: Apr 1, 2022
Monthly Pay: $1,668
Pay Rate: $19
State Employee Number: 1459602

At Parks and Wildlife Department, Sophia Smith serves as a Customer Service Representative I. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. Their 2026 pay totaled $20,018.

Nancy Shell

Customer Service Representative I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$20,017

Base pay: $20,017
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $20,017
Employment type: Crp - Classified Regular Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 132
Hire Date: Apr 11, 2025
Monthly Pay: $1,668
Pay Rate: $19
State Employee Number: 1777212

Nancy Shell is a Customer Service Representative I at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work crp - classified regular part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2026 total compensation came to $20,017.

Jaxon Huggins

Maintenance Specialist I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$19,958

Base pay: $19,958
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $19,958
Employment type: Ctp - Classified Temporary Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 9041
Hire Date: Jan 24, 2025
Monthly Pay: $1,663
Pay Rate: $19
State Employee Number: 1702043

Jaxon Huggins works as a Maintenance Specialist I for Parks and Wildlife Department. Their status is ctp - classified temporary part-time, 0.5 FTE. Jaxon earned $19,958 in 2025.

Kyra Shank

Maintenance Specialist I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2025 total comp

$19,958

Base pay: $19,958
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $19,958
Employment type: Ctp - Classified Temporary Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 9041
Hire Date: Feb 20, 2025
Monthly Pay: $1,663
Pay Rate: $19
State Employee Number: 1711741

Kyra Shank holds the role of Maintenance Specialist I at Parks and Wildlife Department. Their status is ctp - classified temporary part-time, 0.5 FTE. In 2025, their total compensation was $19,958.

Anthony Chaplin

Maintenance Specialist I/Parks and Wildlife Department

2026 total comp

$19,958

Base pay: $19,958
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $19,958
Employment type: Ctp - Classified Temporary Part-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.5
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 9041
Hire Date: Jan 10, 2026
Monthly Pay: $1,663
Pay Rate: $19
State Employee Number: 1826703

Anthony Chaplin is a Maintenance Specialist I at Parks and Wildlife Department. They work ctp - classified temporary part-time, 0.5 FTE. 2026 total compensation came to $19,958.