Develops new crop varieties with higher yield, disease resistance or better quality using genetics and field trials. BLS does not publish separate figures for soil and plant scientists; it counts them within soil and plant scientist (SOC 19-1013), whose median pay is $78,850 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
- SOC 19-1013
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Plant Breeder in four numbers
- Median pay
- $78,850a year, or $37.91/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $49KTop 10% $138K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.7%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.7%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.7% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,40019,900 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202519.9K
- Projected 203521.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 19.9K Projected 2035 21.3K - Typical education
- Doctorateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Certificate4.8%
- Associate's4.8%
- Bachelor's23.8%
- Post-bacc certificate4.8%
- Master's28.6%
- Doctorate19.1%
Highest education held by soil and plant scientists Segment Value Certificate 4.8% Associate's 4.8% Bachelor's 23.8% Post-bacc certificate 4.8% Master's 28.6% Doctorate 19.1%
Also advertised as: Crop Breeder, Plant Breeding Scientist, Corn Breeder, Vegetable Breeder, Plant Geneticist.
Pay
How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make?
Every plant breeder in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$78,850
Middle half earn $61,660 to $103,740
- 10th
- $48,680
- 25th
- $61,660
- 75th
- $103,740
- 90th
- $138,120
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $48,680 |
| 25th | $61,660 |
| Median | $78,850 |
| 75th | $103,740 |
| 90th | $138,120 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $78,850
- Median hourly wage
- $37.91/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $87,720
- People employed
- 15,730
Versus all US occupations
At $78,850, Soil and Plant Scientists earn 55% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $27,870 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 4% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $138,120 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,680, a gap of 2.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 58% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($107,140), but once local prices are taken into account Iowa leads at $109,740 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Soil and Plant Scientists 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $107,140 | $97,488 | 60 |
| 2Florida | $103,240 | $99,832 | 270 |
| 3Alaska | $100,320 | $98,008 | 30 |
| 4Iowa | $96,310 | $109,740 | 960 |
| 5Idaho | $95,150 | $99,640 | 540 |
| 6New Jersey | $91,970 | $84,527 | 130 |
| 7California | $91,930 | $83,029 | 1,440 |
| 8Oregon | $85,150 | $82,381 | 620 |
| 9Maryland | $85,020 | $81,003 | 200 |
| 10Hawaii | $84,390 | $76,752 | 60 |
Job outlook
Is Plant Breeder a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.7% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil and Plant Scientists | +6.7% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Soil and Plant Scientists to change 6.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 1,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,400 openings are projected each year, 7.0% of the 19,900 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Plant Breeder
Plant breeder positions that lead programs usually require a PhD in plant breeding, genetics, agronomy or horticulture. Research associate and breeding technician roles are available with a bachelor's or master's degree and are a common way to gain experience.
The National Association of Plant Breeders runs a career center, early career programs and student scholarships. Universities with major plant breeding programs include Iowa State, Cornell, the University of Minnesota, Texas A&M and UC Davis. Summer field internships with seed companies are the standard entry point for students. Skills in statistics and programming are increasingly expected.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable 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 soil and plant scientists.
- Master's Degree28.6%
- Bachelor's Degree23.8%
- Doctoral Degree19.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate4.8%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree4.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | 28.6% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 23.8% |
| Doctoral Degree | 19.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 4.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Plant Breeder do?
Plant breeders create new varieties of crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, vegetables, fruit and flowers. They choose parent plants, make crosses, and evaluate thousands of offspring across field and greenhouse trials for traits like yield, drought tolerance, disease resistance, flavor and shelf life.
Modern breeding is data heavy. Breeders use genetic markers and genomic selection to predict which lines will perform best, work with statisticians to analyze multi-location trials, and coordinate with pathologists and product teams. Most breeders work for seed companies, with others at universities, USDA's Agricultural Research Service, and international research centers.
Day-to-day tasks
- Select parent lines and plan crosses
- Make controlled pollinations in the field and greenhouse
- Evaluate breeding lines in multi-location trials
- Use genetic markers and genomic data to select lines
- Analyze trial data for yield and trait performance
- Decide which varieties advance toward commercial release
- Coordinate with pathologists, seed production and product teams
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Breeders split time between field plots, greenhouses, labs and offices. Planting, pollination and harvest seasons involve long days outdoors in heat. Many roles involve travel to trial locations, and some include winter nurseries in other countries. Breeders also spend a lot of time at computers analyzing trial data and planning the next season's crosses.
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
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely 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 Comprehension4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Science4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Writing3.9
- Mathematics3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Science | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Systems Analysis3.5
- Systems Evaluation3.5
- Instructing3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Operations Analysis3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.5 |
| Instructing | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Categorization or classification software
- Map creation 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 a Plant Breeder?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRC) built on O*NET's Soil and Plant Scientist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Plant Breeder |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative6.7
- Realistic6.4
- Conventional4.0
- Artistic2.1
- Enterprising1.7
- Social1.7
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 Plant Breeder
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Architecture and Engineering
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with soil and plant scientists highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Plant Breeder$78,850
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Plant Breeder | $78,850 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Plant Breeder appears on
Questions
Plant Breeder: frequently asked questions
How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for soil and plant scientists. It counts them within soil and plant scientist, whose median pay is $78,850 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $61,660 and $103,740, and the top 10% earn $138,120 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Plant Breeder?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Soil and Plant Scientists. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 28.6% hold master's degree.
Is Plant Breeder a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.7% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Plant Breeder do?
Plant breeders create new varieties of crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, vegetables, fruit and flowers. A typical task: select parent lines and plan crosses. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Soil and Plant Scientists the most?
The highest state medians for Soil and Plant Scientists are District of Columbia ($107,140), Florida ($103,240), Alaska ($100,320) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Iowa moves to the top at $109,740.
What personality type suits a Plant Breeder?
O*NET scores Soil and Plant Scientists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTP, INTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.