The median pay for Agricultural Inspectors is $49,940 a year ($24.01/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 2.3% through 2035, with about 2,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 45-2011
- Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Agricultural Inspector in four numbers
- Median pay
- $49,940a year, or $24.01/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $37KTop 10% $80K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.3%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2.3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2.3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 2,50017,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202517.8K
- Projected 203518.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 17.8K Projected 2035 18.2K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school7%
- High school56.2%
- Some college12.5%
- Associate's12.2%
- Bachelor's10.3%
- Professional degree1.8%
Highest education held by agricultural inspectors Segment Value Less than high school 7% High school 56.2% Some college 12.5% Associate's 12.2% Bachelor's 10.3% Professional degree 1.8%
Also advertised as: Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG), Agricultural Products Agent, Apiary Inspector, Brand Inspector, CSI (Consumer Safety Inspector), Food Inspector.
Pay
How much do Agricultural Inspectors make?
Every agricultural inspector in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$49,940
Middle half earn $42,330 to $64,500
- 10th
- $37,020
- 25th
- $42,330
- 75th
- $64,500
- 90th
- $79,580
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $37,020 |
| 25th | $42,330 |
| Median | $49,940 |
| 75th | $64,500 |
| 90th | $79,580 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $49,940
- Median hourly wage
- $24.01/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $54,910
- People employed
- 14,410
Versus all US occupations
At $49,940, the median for Agricultural Inspectors sits in line with the $50,980 median across all US occupations.
Versus farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
Inside the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry group, where the middle occupation pays $45,005, this is 11% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $79,580 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,020, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 21% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Minnesota pays the most at $77,150, and still leads at $78,229 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Agricultural Inspectors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Minnesota | $77,150 | $78,229 | 180 |
| 2New York | $73,920 | $68,495 | 340 |
| 3Ohio | $69,280 | $74,676 | 210 |
| 4Michigan | $65,730 | $68,314 | 320 |
| 5Vermont | $63,630 | $64,956 | 60 |
| 6Louisiana | $63,130 | $71,570 | 150 |
| 7Washington | $62,880 | $58,759 | 450 |
| 8Illinois | $62,000 | $62,026 | 470 |
| 9Hawaii | $60,650 | $55,161 | 90 |
| 10Maryland | $58,160 | $55,412 | 150 |
Job outlook
Is Agricultural Inspector a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +2.3% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Inspectors | +2.3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Agricultural Inspectors to change 2.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 2,500 openings are projected each year, 14.0% of the 17,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Agricultural Inspector
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as agricultural inspectors.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)56.2%
- Some College Courses12.5%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree12.2%
- Bachelor's Degree10.3%
- Less than a High School Diploma7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 56.2% |
| Some College Courses | 12.5% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 12.2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 10.3% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 7% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Agricultural Inspector do?
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
Day-to-day tasks
- Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.
- Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
- Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
- Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.
- Provide consultative services in areas such as equipment or product evaluation, plant construction or layout, or food safety systems.
- Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
- Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
- Examine, weigh, and measure commodities, such as poultry, eggs, meat, or seafood to certify qualities, grades, and weights.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Active Listening3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Speaking3.5
- Active Learning3.3
- Writing3.1
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 |
| Speaking | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Quality Control Analysis4.1
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Systems Analysis3.1
- Systems Evaluation3.1
- Instructing3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysis | 4.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Agricultural Inspector?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Agricultural Inspector |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic5.3
- Conventional5.2
- Investigative4.0
- Enterprising3.1
- Social1.9
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Agricultural Inspector
O*NET related occupations
- Construction and Extraction
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
$59,320median a year
Most earn $39K to $92K
+3.8%High school - Transportation and Material Moving
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
Occupational Health and Safety Technician
$61,560median a year
Most earn $46K to $100K
+19.4%High school
More farming, fishing, and forestry careers
Median annual pay, with agricultural inspectors highlighted
- First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320
- Cannabis Cultivation Director$59,320
- Faller$52,100
- Animal Breeder$51,130
- Agricultural Inspector$49,940
- Logging Equipment Operator$49,740
- Log Grader and Scaler$46,330
- Agricultural Equipment Operator$41,730
- Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | $59,320 |
| Cannabis Cultivation Director | $59,320 |
| Faller | $52,100 |
| Animal Breeder | $51,130 |
| Agricultural Inspector | $49,940 |
| Logging Equipment Operator | $49,740 |
| Log Grader and Scaler | $46,330 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operator | $41,730 |
| Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | $35,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Agricultural Inspector appears on
Questions
Agricultural Inspector: frequently asked questions
How much do Agricultural Inspectors make?
Agricultural Inspectors earn a median of $49,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), close to the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $24.01/hr. The middle half earn between $42,330 and $64,500. The top 10% earn $79,580 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Agricultural Inspector?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Agricultural Inspectors, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 56.2% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Agricultural Inspector a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 2.3% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 2,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Agricultural Inspector do?
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety. A core O*NET task: collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Agricultural Inspectors the most?
The highest state medians for Agricultural Inspectors are Minnesota ($77,150), New York ($73,920), Ohio ($69,280) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Agricultural Inspector?
O*NET scores Agricultural Inspectors highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.