Agricultural Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2021.00United States
Apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing of agricultural products.
- Median annual earnings
- $98,592
- Projected change
- +5%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 1.84K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
75% of the workforce
Growing to 1.93K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
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The work
What agricultural engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Prepare reports, sketches, working drawings, specifications, proposals, and budgets for proposed sites or systems.
- Visit sites to observe environmental problems, to consult with contractors, or to monitor construction activities.
- Meet with clients, such as district or regional councils, farmers, and developers, to discuss their needs.
- Test agricultural machinery and equipment to ensure adequate performance.
- Discuss plans with clients, contractors, consultants, and other engineers so that they can be evaluated and necessary changes made.
- Provide advice on water quality and issues related to pollution management, river control, and ground and surface water resources.
- Plan and direct construction of rural electric-power distribution systems, and irrigation, drainage, and flood control systems for soil and water conservation.
- Design structures for crop storage, animal shelter and loading, and animal and crop processing, and supervise their construction.
- Conduct educational programs that provide farmers or farm cooperative members with information that can help them improve agricultural productivity.
- Design sensing, measuring, and recording devices, and other instrumentation used to study plant or animal life.
- Design agricultural machinery components and equipment, using computer-aided design (CAD) technology.
- Design and supervise environmental and land reclamation projects in agriculture and related industries.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $68,058
- 25th percentile
- $82,264
- 50th percentile
- $98,592
- 75th percentile
- $124,883
- 90th percentile
- $166,462
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $98,592 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5%average or slower
20251,838 jobs
2035 projected1,929 jobs
91 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 75%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 10%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 10%
- Associate degree
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Agricultural Engineers87 postings
- 02Agricultural Commercial Loan Officers45 postings
- 03General Engineers27 postings
- 04Supervisory General Engineers24 postings
- 05Interdisciplinary Engineers13 postings
- 06Engineering Technicians10 postings
- 07Engineering Interns8 postings
- 08Food Engineers7 postings
- 09OSP Engineers7 postings
- 10Interdisciplinary Engineer Architects6 postings
- 11Agricultural Managers5 postings
- 12Lecturers5 postings
- 13Engineers/Architects4 postings
- 14Postdoctoral Fellows4 postings
- 15Adjunct Faculties3 postings
- 16Conservation Technicians3 postings
- 17District Conservationists3 postings
- 18Engineering Assistants3 postings
- 19Engineering Co-Ops/Interns3 postings
- 20Extension Agricultural Agents3 postings
Top employers
- 01District Of Columbia Courts49 postings
- 02Banco Agrario De Colombia39 postings
- 03United States Department of Defense34 postings
- 04Larson Design Group17 postings
- 05Natural Resources Conservation Service14 postings
- 06Ohio State University8 postings
- 07System One7 postings
- 08State of Vermont6 postings
- 09Su Servicio Especializado6 postings
- 10Comfama5 postings
- 11Nrcs5 postings
- 12Applied Intuition4 postings
- 13Keller Foundations4 postings
- 14State of Nevada4 postings
- 15Toro4 postings
- 16University of Arkansas4 postings
- 17Commonwealth Of Virginia3 postings
- 18Gds Associates3 postings
- 19Smithsonian Institution3 postings
- 20University of Delaware3 postings
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