Agricultural Technicians
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 19-4012.00United States
Work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Set up or maintain laboratory equipment and collect samples from crops or animals.
- Median annual earnings
- $49,061
- Projected change
- +8.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 23.97K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
44.5% of the workforce
Growing to 26.03K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What agricultural technicians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Collect animal or crop samples.
- Examine animals or crop specimens to determine the presence of diseases or other problems.
- Set up laboratory or field equipment as required for site testing.
- Supervise or train agricultural technicians or farm laborers.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $34,503
- 25th percentile
- $39,328
- 50th percentile
- $49,061
- 75th percentile
- $63,824
- 90th percentile
- $80,099
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $49,061 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.6%faster than average
202523,972 jobs
2035 projected26,028 jobs
2,056 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 44.5%
- Bachelor's degree
- 24.2%
- Associate degree
- 13.2%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 7.2%
- Some college
- 5.5%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 5.5%
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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Food Service Technicians722 postings
- 02Agricultural Technicians441 postings
- 03Horticulture Technicians324 postings
- 04Agricultural Equipment Technicians287 postings
- 05Culinary Specialists247 postings
- 06Seed Technicians155 postings
- 07Food Equipment Service Technicians151 postings
- 08Agricultural Service Technicians125 postings
- 09Plant Health Care Specialists119 postings
- 10Agronomy Managers111 postings
- 11Manufacturing Maintenance Technicians109 postings
- 12Service Technicians107 postings
- 13Facilities Maintenance Technicians104 postings
- 14Deli Clerks103 postings
- 15Corrections Food Service Supervisors97 postings
- 16Food Service Assistants96 postings
- 17Agricultural Specialists93 postings
- 18Custom Applicators93 postings
- 19Relationship Specialists76 postings
- 20Food Service Specialists72 postings
Top employers
- 01GPAC283 postings
- 02Aramark251 postings
- 03Hutson164 postings
- 04Walmart141 postings
- 05SavATree140 postings
- 06Nutrien123 postings
- 07Kroger121 postings
- 08Ag-Pro111 postings
- 09Mercy110 postings
- 10PAM Health99 postings
- 11Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania97 postings
- 12Growmark96 postings
- 13Georgia Department Of Corrections83 postings
- 14Mfa79 postings
- 15Gordon Food Service62 postings
- 16Landus60 postings
- 17State of California58 postings
- 18Agpro54 postings
- 19Blackstone Consulting46 postings
- 20Valley Queen Cheese Factory43 postings
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