Career
Agricultural technicians
Support farm research and food production in the field and lab.
$49,630
Median pay
+5.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,800
Openings a year
Associate's degree
Typical education
2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
- Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks.
- Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care.
- Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness.
- Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
2 years of education after high school (associate's degree), for a median of $49,630 a year and 2,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- BiologySee the degree →
- Animal ScienceSee the degree →
- Agriculture, GeneralCIP 01.0000
- Animal Sciences, GeneralCIP 01.0901
- Dairy ScienceCIP 01.0905
- Poultry ScienceCIP 01.0907
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Agricultural Engineers$98,590 · +6.9%
- Biological Technicians$57,510 · +7.4%
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 · -3.4%
- Precision Agriculture Technicians
- Food Science Technicians$52,130 · +4.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.