Agricultural Inspectors

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$49,940

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$42,330 – $64,500

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

14,410

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+2.3%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

2,500

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Bachelor's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.

Main tasks

• Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
• Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
• Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
• Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.
• Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
• Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.
• Examine, weigh, and measure commodities, such as poultry, eggs, meat, or seafood to certify qualities, grades, and weights.
• Provide consultative services in areas such as equipment or product evaluation, plant construction or layout, or food safety systems.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Bachelor's degree

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Construction and Building Inspectors

  $74,690 median · 0% projected

• Food Science Technicians

  $52,130 median · +4.8% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

  $59,320 median · +3.8% projected

• Agricultural Technicians

  $49,630 median · +5.4% projected

• Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

  $61,560 median · +19.4% projected

• Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

  $48,570 median · +2.5% projected