Agriculture Pay: Managers, Scientists and Farm Workers (US Data and Its Limits)
US wage data for agricultural managers, supervisors, food scientists, soil and plant scientists and agricultural engineers, and why it cannot describe farm income.
Published by SalaryBases. Drafted with AI assistance and revised to remove or reword figures we could not trace to a source. Not reviewed by a licensed professional. Pay figures come only from the official datasets named beside each table and apply only to the country, year and definition stated there. Methodology
Agriculture includes farm owners, farm workers, scientists, engineers and food-industry professionals, and their incomes are measured in very different ways. This guide is specific about what official wage data covers, which is less than many readers assume.
What US government data shows
| Occupation (SOC) | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers (45-2090) | $31,250 | $35,870 | $47,740 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers (45-1011) | $38,990 | $59,320 | $91,770 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers (11-9013) | $54,320 | $89,900 | $160,020 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists (19-1012) | $52,920 | $88,720 | $145,280 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists (19-1013) | $48,680 | $78,850 | $138,120 |
| Agricultural Engineers (17-2021) | $68,060 | $98,590 | $166,460 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Scope: United States, national estimates, all industries, annual wages in US dollars (retrieved 9 October 2026). The median is the middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; 10th/90th percentile mean 10% earn less/more. The survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, equity and employer benefit costs. BLS methodology.
Miscellaneous agricultural workers have a median of $35,870, and first-line supervisors of farming, fishing and forestry workers $59,320. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers have a median of $89,900, with a 10th to 90th percentile range of $54,320 to $160,020. Among scientific and technical roles, soil and plant scientists have a median of $78,850, food scientists and technologists $88,720 and agricultural engineers $98,590.
An important limit: the survey does not cover farm establishments
The BLS survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed. That means it does not describe the incomes of most farm owners and operators, or of workers employed directly on farms. The agricultural rows above reflect employees of nonfarm establishments, such as agricultural service businesses, and should not be read as farm income.
Where to find farm income data
Farm income is measured separately. The USDA Economic Research Service publishes data on farm sector income and finances. Farm income depends on prices, yields, weather, input costs and scale, and varies a great deal from one year and one farm to the next.
How agricultural work is paid
- Seasonal and piece-rate work: some farm jobs are seasonal or paid per unit of output, so annual pay depends on how many weeks and hours are available.
- Non-cash pay: some employers provide housing or other benefits, so compare the total package.
- Owner income: owners earn what is left after costs, which can be negative in a bad year.
- Salaried professional roles: agronomists, food scientists, engineers and managers at agribusinesses are typically salaried, and the table is most informative for these roles.
Technology roles in agriculture
Software, data and engineering roles at agricultural technology companies are usually classified under technology occupations; see our tech industry guide for those figures. We do not have verified wage data for a separate "agtech" category, so we do not quote one.
Putting this to use
For a salaried job, compare the offer with the percentile range for the closest occupation and then compare the full package. For farm income or a seasonal job, use farm financial data and a month-by-month budget. The Freelancer Rate Calculator and Cost of Living Comparison help with irregular income and relocation.
Key takeaways
- Official wage data covers employees of nonfarm establishments and does not measure farm income.
- US medians in the table run from $35,870 (agricultural workers) to $98,590 (agricultural engineers).
- Farm income is published separately by USDA and varies a lot by year and farm.
- We removed the unsourced global employment claims that appeared in the earlier version of this guide.
Sources used in this guide
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: methodology and tables — Every wage figure in the tables above (each row links to its own BLS occupation profile).
- USDA Economic Research Service: Farm sector income and finances — Where to find farm income data, which BLS wage data does not cover.