Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 45-2041

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

Median pay sits 28% below the mid peer in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations (neighbors include Animal Breeders, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Log Graders and Scalers, Logging Equipment Operators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products: Animal Breeders ($51K) , Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K) , Log Graders and Scalers ($46K) , Logging Equipment Operators ($50K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 45-2041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers
  2. 2. Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel
  3. 3. Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing
  4. 4. Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correc…
  5. 5. Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products: O*NET ranks Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 45-2041 - lead skill Monitoring at 2.9 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Monitoring 2.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 2.8
  3. 3. Speaking 2.8
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 2.5
  5. 5. Coordination 2.5
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 2.3
  7. 7. Writing 2.3
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 2.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 3.6
  2. 2. English Language 3.0
  3. 3. Mechanical 3.0
  4. 4. Food Production 2.8
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.7
  6. 6. Foreign Language 2.4
Pay vs Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations peers
-28%
vs mid peer median $49,740
This role $35,730/yr
$36K
National median
↓ -5%
Growth 2024-2034
5,100
Annual openings
25,180
Estimated US jobs
Animal Breeders
Highest-pay peer · $51K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

1. Minnesota $47,540
2. North Dakota $45,590
3. Nebraska $45,560
4. Utah $42,710
5. Massachusetts $41,770
6. Maryland $41,740
7. Iowa $42,450
8. Colorado $48,740
9. Maine $45,810
10. Illinois $41,670

Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles

  1. 1. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $35,660
  2. 2. Log Graders and Scalers $46,330
  3. 3. Animal Breeders $51,130
  4. 4. Logging Equipment Operators $49,740
  5. 5. Forest and Conservation Workers $43,680
  6. 6. Agricultural Inspectors $49,940

Among Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations peers on this card, Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products sits 28% below the mid peer median ($49,740). Its own median is $35,730.

Employment Projections expect -5% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 5,100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential 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: Minnesota at $47,540. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Animal Breeders at $51,130. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products pay-rank #12 in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

On the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table (13 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products lands at #12, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-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.

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products pays 28% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 45-2041

Minnesota · top state for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

$48K published median

North Dakota · #2 state pay

$46K · behind Minnesota

Animal Breeders

Highest-pay peer vs Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products · $51K

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Lower-pay peer beside Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products · $36K

Compare Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

Against another occupation

Animal Breeders card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products land on the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table? ▼
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products is pay-rank #12 of 13 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K), Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals ($37K), Agricultural Workers, All Other ($40K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do graders and sorters, agricultural products do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products. Leading ones include: Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers; Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel; Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing; Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correc…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for graders and sorters, agricultural products? ▼
For SOC 45-2041, O*NET importance scores lead with Monitoring (2.9), Active Listening (2.8), Speaking (2.8), Critical Thinking (2.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, English Language, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,730 as the national median for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products. The published 10th-90th range is $29,580 to $44,490. Beside Animal Breeders ($51,130), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products is -5%. Projected annual openings: about 5,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products? ▼
Minnesota ($47,540), North Dakota ($45,590), Nebraska ($45,560) 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 Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 45-2041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products. 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