Agricultural Inspectors: salary, outlook & degrees
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
Middle half $42,330–$64,500. 14,410 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
60% hold a bachelor's or higher.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 2,500 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Some preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | $77,150 |
| New York | $73,920 |
| Ohio | $69,280 |
| Michigan | $65,730 |
| Vermont | $63,630 |
| Louisiana | $63,130 |
| Washington | $62,880 |
| Illinois | $62,000 |
| Hawaii | $60,650 |
| Maryland | $58,160 |
| North Dakota | $57,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,650 |
| Nebraska | $55,090 |
| Utah | $53,930 |
| Wisconsin | $53,640 |
| California | $53,620 |
| Oklahoma | $53,060 |
| Oregon | $53,060 |
| New Mexico | $52,450 |
| Kansas | $51,630 |
| Delaware | $51,590 |
| Colorado | $50,430 |
| South Carolina | $49,940 |
| Texas | $49,940 |
| Iowa | $49,600 |
| Idaho | $48,650 |
| Indiana | $48,560 |
| Tennessee | $47,840 |
| North Carolina | $47,760 |
| Virginia | $47,380 |
| Kentucky | $46,640 |
| Massachusetts | $46,510 |
| Missouri | $46,220 |
| Arizona | $45,700 |
| Florida | $43,990 |
| Arkansas | $42,060 |
| Maine | $41,760 |
| New Jersey | $41,520 |
| Georgia | $41,460 |
| Mississippi | $39,960 |
| Alabama | $39,300 |
| Nevada | $39,270 |
| Wyoming | $36,670 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$63,490
- Gainesville GA$41,460
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA$44,450
- Fresno CA$56,890
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$46,720
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$64,790
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA$49,930
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$55,650
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$79,210
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI$84,910
- Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway AR$40,530
- Oklahoma City OK$53,060
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Administrative
- Mathematics
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
People in this job tend to have Realistic (hands-on), Conventional (organizing), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Agricultural Inspectors: questions
How much do agricultural Inspectors make?
Agricultural Inspectors earn a U.S. median $49,940 a year; the middle half earn $42,330 to $64,500 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $50,274 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is agricultural Inspectors a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 2.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,500 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an agricultural Inspector?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 12% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do agricultural Inspectors make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $43,990 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $49,940 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 45-2011. Method
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Cite this: “Agricultural Inspectors: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/agricultural-inspectors.