Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 45-2011

Agricultural Inspectors

O*NET task statements lead this Agricultural Inspectors card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Fallers, Logging Equipment Operators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Agricultural Inspectors: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59K) , Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K) , Fallers ($52K) , Logging Equipment Operators ($50K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Agricultural Inspectors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 45-2011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat
  2. 2. Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations g…
  3. 3. Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates
  4. 4. Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants
  5. 5. Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised
  6. 6. Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers
  7. 7. Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements
  8. 8. Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees
  9. 9. Examine, weigh, and measure commodities, such as poultry, eggs, meat, or seafood to certify qualities, grades, and weights
  10. 10. Inspect or test horticultural products or livestock to detect harmful diseases, chemical residues, or infestations and to determine the q…
  11. 11. Monitor the grading performed by company employees to verify conformance to standards
  12. 12. Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken

Agricultural Inspectors: O*NET ranks Quality Control Analysis first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 45-2011 - lead skill Quality Control Analysis at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Quality Control Analysis 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.8
  4. 4. Monitoring 3.8
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.6
  6. 6. Speaking 3.5
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.3
  8. 8. Operations Monitoring 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  2. 2. Administration and Management 3.4
  3. 3. Law and Government 3.3
  4. 4. Administrative 3.3
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.2
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 3.2
National median after O*NET task lead
$49,940
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat
$50K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
2,200
Annual openings
14,410
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
Highest-pay peer · $59K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Agricultural Inspectors

1. Washington $62,880
2. Maryland $58,160
3. Michigan $65,730
4. Hawaii $60,650
5. Minnesota $77,150
6. Illinois $62,000
7. Vermont $63,630
8. Ohio $69,280
9. New York $73,920
10. Louisiana $63,130

Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles

  1. 1. Fallers $52,100
  2. 2. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $35,660
  3. 3. Logging Equipment Operators $49,740
  4. 4. Forest and Conservation Workers $43,680
  5. 5. Agricultural Equipment Operators $41,730
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers $59,320

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Agricultural Inspectors (SOC 45-2011). The national OEWS median is $49,940 inside Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations. Same-group neighbors: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Fallers, Logging Equipment Operators. Lead published task: Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $62,880. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers at $59,320. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Agricultural Inspectors pay-rank #5 in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

Among 13 detailed Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations with a published OEWS median, Agricultural Inspectors is pay-rank #5, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 45-2011 · national median $49,940 · upper third of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations (#5/13). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Agricultural Inspectors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 45-2011

Washington · top state for Agricultural Inspectors

$63K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$58K · behind Washington

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

Highest-pay peer vs Agricultural Inspectors · $59K

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Lower-pay peer beside Agricultural Inspectors · $36K

Compare Agricultural Inspectors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Agricultural Inspectors with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Agricultural Inspectors full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles sit near Agricultural Inspectors at the top of the pay table? ▼
Agricultural Inspectors is pay-rank #5 of 13 detailed Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Logging Workers, All Other ($51K), Animal Breeders ($51K), Fallers ($52K), First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do agricultural inspectors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Agricultural Inspectors. Leading ones include: Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat; Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations g…; Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates; Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for agricultural inspectors? ▼
For SOC 45-2011, O*NET importance scores lead with Quality Control Analysis (4.1), Reading Comprehension (3.8), Active Listening (3.8), Monitoring (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Law and Government. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Agricultural Inspectors? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,940 as the national median for Agricultural Inspectors. The published 10th-90th range is $37,020 to $79,580. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59,320), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Agricultural Inspectors? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Agricultural Inspectors is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 2,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Agricultural Inspectors? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Agricultural Inspectors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Agricultural Inspectors? ▼
Washington ($62,880), Maryland ($58,160), Michigan ($65,730) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Agricultural Inspectors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 45-2011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Agricultural Inspectors. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics