What is the Average Salary in Agriculture?

There are many jobs within the agriculture industry, and a person may wonder what the average salary in agriculture is. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects salary information for all jobs within the field of agriculture. Each of those jobs has a different salary range in accordance with the required level of education and the difficulty or complexity of the work.

Agricultural Workers

Agricultural workers earned a median annual wage of $24,620 as of May 2018. This is the lowest-paying occupation within the agricultural industry. No work experience and no degree are required to be an agricultural worker. There were more than 876,000 people employed as agricultural workers in 2018. The expected rate of growth for jobs as agricultural workers is one percent between May 2018 and May 2018, which is slower than the average rate of growth of five percent for all occupations. Agricultural workers perform tasks such as tending to livestock or harvesting fruit in a field. They must work in all types of weather conditions.

Farmers, Ranchers and Other Agricultural Managers

People who work as ranchers, farmers or other types of agricultural managers earned a median salary of $67,950 per year. To become a rancher, farmer or agricultural manager, a minimum of five years of work experience in a related occupation is required. A person may have a high school diploma, associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to work as an agricultural manager, farmer or rancher. As of May 2018, 975,400 people reported that they worked as a rancher, farmer or other type of agricultural manager. The expected rate of growth of jobs in this occupation is negative one percent. About 9,000 jobs will be lost by May 2028.

Agricultural Engineers

The median annual salary for an agricultural engineer was $77,110 per year as of May 2018. A bachelor’s degree is required to work as an agricultural engineer. There are not many jobs as agricultural engineers; only 2,600 people reported this as their occupation as of May 2018. The BLS expects that 100 new jobs will be added for agricultural engineers by May 2028, which is about a five percent rate of growth. This is the same rate of growth as for all occupations.

Related Resource: 20 Best Affordable Bachelor’s in Agriculture Science

Agricultural and Food Scientists

According to the BLS, agricultural and food scientists earn a median annual wage of $64,020 as of May 2018. This is one of the highest-paying jobs that a person can get in the agriculture industry with a bachelor’s degree and no previous work experience. An agricultural scientist works full-time hours and researches ways to improve the efficiency and safety of food production. They may work in a laboratory, office or field setting. Most of them spend some time in all three of these work environments. The expected rate of growth in agricultural scientist jobs is one percent between May 2018 and May 2028.

There are additional occupations related to or within the agricultural industry, and the BLS collects hourly wage and annual earnings for all of them. A person who enjoys agriculture and earns a degree in agricultural science has the potential to earn a good income within this growing industry. Knowing the answer to, “What is the average salary in agriculture?” helps a person choose a career path within the agriculture occupations.

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