Agricultural Inspectors Salary: $62,340 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 12,090 agricultural inspectors nationally earn a mean of $62,340. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.1% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Agricultural Inspectors: what the data shows
Common questions about agricultural inspectors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a agricultural inspectors?
Agricultural Inspectors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 45-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 12,090 workers.
What does a agricultural inspectors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a agricultural inspectors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $50,990 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $62,340 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,498 |
| 25th percentile | $42,998 |
| Median (50th) | $53,003 |
| 75th percentile | $80,200 |
| 90th percentile | $98,163 |
What education do you need?
For Agricultural Inspectors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is agricultural inspectors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 16.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 36.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 12,090.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do agricultural inspectorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 12,090 | 17.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,740 | 12.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,650 | 12.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,650 | 12.6% |
| State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 5,090 | 7.4% |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 5,010 | 7.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Agricultural Inspectors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | — | — |
| Agricultural and Food Science Technicians | — | — |
| Agricultural Engineers | — | — |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 30,940 | $42,580 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 167,490 | $38,220 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 8,700 | $86,350 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 26,870 | $35,430 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Agricultural Inspectors workforce.
Employment Over Time
12,090 Workforce in 2023
The Agricultural Inspectors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Agricultural Inspectors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$62,340 Average Wage
In 2023, Agricultural Inspectors earned an average of $62,340.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Agricultural Inspectors.
Salary distribution for Agricultural Inspectors.
Employment Growth Projections
3.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
9,737 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 16.8%
11,369 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 36.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Agricultural Inspectors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Agricultural Inspectors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Agricultural Inspectors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Agricultural Inspectors.
Wage Trends by Industry
15.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Agricultural Inspectors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Agricultural Inspectors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,120 employees, $60,560 avg wage
- GA: 690 employees, $46,850 avg wage
- PA: 690 employees, $56,620 avg wage
- WA: 620 employees, $63,770 avg wage
- TX: 590 employees, $55,760 avg wage
- FL: 510 employees, $43,310 avg wage
- NE: 370 employees, $50,400 avg wage
- IL: 370 employees, $59,840 avg wage
- IA: 350 employees, $57,100 avg wage
- NC: 300 employees, $47,250 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Agricultural Inspectors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 560 employees, $64,680 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 350 employees, $33,940 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 340 employees, $51,880 avg wage
- Fresno, CA: 240 employees, $59,920 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 190 employees, $51,100 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 190 employees, $58,430 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 190 employees, $52,100 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 150 employees, $69,480 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 150 employees, $80,310 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 150 employees, $58,080 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Agricultural Inspectors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Agricultural Inspectors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Agricultural Inspectors in 2023 was 12,090 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Agricultural Inspectors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Agricultural Inspectors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Agricultural Inspectors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Agricultural Inspectors in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Agricultural Inspectors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Agricultural Inspectors workers.
Education level distribution for Agricultural Inspectors.
Skills
Agricultural Inspectors need many skills, but most especially Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Agricultural Inspectors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Agricultural Inspectors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Agricultural Inspectors include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Administrative, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Agricultural Inspectors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Agricultural Inspectors include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Agricultural Inspectors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Agricultural Inspectors.
Daily Activities
Agricultural Inspectors spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Agricultural Inspectors.
About
Agricultural Inspectors
The average yearly wage for Agricultural Inspectors was $62,340 in 2023.
SOC Code
45-2011 - Agricultural Inspectors
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Agricultural Inspectors reports an average salary of $62,340.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 12,090 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.