Manages the science and care of wine grape vineyards, from planting and pruning to irrigation, disease control and harvest timing. 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: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 19-1013
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Viticulturist 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
- Bachelor'sneeded 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: Vineyard Manager, Grape Grower, Vineyard Consultant, Viticulture Specialist, Extension Viticulturist.
Pay
How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make?
Every viticulturist 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 Viticulturist 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 Viticulturist
A bachelor's degree in viticulture and enology, plant science, horticulture or agronomy is the typical route. Programs include UC Davis, Fresno State, Washington State, Cornell and Oregon State, and some community colleges offer viticulture certificates for vineyard technicians.
The American Society for Enology and Viticulture is the main scientific body, with a journal, conferences and student scholarships. Many viticulturists start as vineyard technicians or harvest interns and work up to vineyard manager. A state pesticide applicator license is often required for those who direct spray programs. Wine regions host grower meetings and extension workshops that help newcomers learn local practices.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's 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 Viticulturist do?
Viticulturists grow grapes, usually for wine. They decide which varieties and rootstocks suit a site, plan trellising and planting, and manage the vineyard through the season: pruning, canopy management, irrigation, nutrition and control of diseases such as powdery mildew and pests like mealybugs.
As harvest approaches, they sample grapes for sugar, acid and flavor and work with winemakers to pick each block at the right moment. Many manage crews and equipment, keep budgets, and track yields and quality. Viticulturists work for wineries, vineyard management companies, grower cooperatives and university extension programs.
Day-to-day tasks
- Select grape varieties, rootstocks and vineyard layouts
- Plan and supervise pruning and canopy management
- Manage irrigation and vine nutrition
- Monitor and control vineyard diseases and pests
- Sample grapes to determine harvest timing
- Supervise vineyard crews and equipment
- Coordinate with winemakers on grape quality goals
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Most of the job is outdoors in vineyards, in heat, cold and wet weather, with an office component for planning and records. Harvest brings long days and early starts. Work is concentrated in wine regions such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York. Consultants and extension viticulturists drive between many vineyards in a region.
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 Viticulturist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIE) built on O*NET's Soil and Plant Scientist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Viticulturist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 7 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 3 |
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
- Realistic6.5
- Conventional3.4
- Enterprising2.9
- Artistic2.1
- 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 Viticulturist
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
- Viticulturist$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 |
| Viticulturist | $78,850 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Viticulturist appears on
Questions
Viticulturist: 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 Viticulturist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Soil and Plant Scientists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 28.6% hold master's degree.
Is Viticulturist 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 Viticulturist do?
Viticulturists grow grapes, usually for wine. A typical task: select grape varieties, rootstocks and vineyard layouts. 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 Viticulturist?
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.