Agricultural Technicians vs Physicists

Pay gap first: Physicists leads Agricultural Technicians on national OEWS medians - BLS May 2025

Nearby titles when weighing Physicists pay

Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.

  1. 1. Animal Scientists · near Agricultural Technicians
  2. 2. Anthropologists and Archeologists · near Agricultural Technicians
  3. 3. Astronomers · near Agricultural Technicians
  4. 4. Atmospheric and Space Scientists · near Agricultural Technicians
  5. 5. Biochemists and Biophysicists · near Agricultural Technicians

Day-to-day work behind the Physicists pay lead

Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.

  • Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring. · Agricultural Technicians (SOC 19-4012)
  • Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks. · Agricultural Technicians (SOC 19-4012)
  • Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care. · Agricultural Technicians (SOC 19-4012)
  • Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness. · Agricultural Technicians (SOC 19-4012)
  • Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers. · Physicists (SOC 19-2012)
  • Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena. · Physicists (SOC 19-2012)
  • Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms. · Physicists (SOC 19-2012)
  • Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood. · Physicists (SOC 19-2012)

Agricultural Technicians

$49,630

median annual salary

Physicists

$172,250

median annual salary

Physicists earns $122,620 more per year (71% higher)

The distinctive signal in this pair is the national median gap: Physicists (SOC 19-2012) sits $122,620/year (71%) above Agricultural Technicians. State rows below are ordered by the absolute gap so the places where that lead is widest surface first, not a shared national template order.

Outlook still differs: Agricultural Technicians +4.3% vs Physicists +4% through 2034 · openings 2,900 vs 1,700/yr.

Pay stack: Physicists vs Agricultural Technicians

Signal Agricultural Technicians Physicists
Physicists median annual vs peer $49,630 $172,250
90th-percentile annual · Physicists band $76,480 $274,110
10th-percentile annual · Agricultural band $35,980 $82,110
OEWS median hourly · Agricultural Technici… $23.86/hr $82.81/hr
OEWS mean annual · Physicists $53,840 $171,180
OEWS total employment · 19-0000 15,130 20,430
Job growth 2024-2034 · Agricultural Technicians +4.3% +4%
Annual openings · Physicists side 2,900 1,700
BLS typical education · Agricultural Technici… Associate's degree Doctoral or professional degree
Related experience · Physicists None None

Salary by State

Dual-state rows ordered by absolute median gap between Agricultural Technicians and Physicists.

State Agricultural Technicians Physicists Difference
Florida $42,700 $225,390 $-182,690
New Hampshire $42,520 $214,030 $-171,510
Oklahoma $37,840 $200,050 $-162,210
Pennsylvania $48,800 $210,990 $-162,190
Oregon $46,800 $200,320 $-153,520
California $60,320 $207,490 $-147,170
New York $45,830 $181,970 $-136,140
Texas $50,270 $184,040 $-133,770
Wisconsin $46,470 $173,120 $-126,650
Maryland $49,680 $174,390 $-124,710
North Carolina $51,470 $174,180 $-122,710
Kentucky $59,860 $180,910 $-121,050
Tennessee $45,130 $165,010 $-119,880
Iowa $64,070 $178,110 $-114,040
Minnesota $57,310 $171,220 $-113,910
Nevada $43,590 $154,030 $-110,440
Utah $46,560 $156,760 $-110,200
New Jersey $54,370 $163,270 $-108,900
Virginia $41,210 $145,040 $-103,830
South Carolina $41,290 $138,400 $-97,110

Showing top 20 of 34 states.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.

Common Questions

Which pays more, Agricultural Technicians or Physicists?
Physicists pays more, with a median annual salary of $172,250 compared to $49,630 - a difference of $122,620 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Agricultural Technicians has faster projected growth at 4.3% from 2024 to 2034, compared to 4% for Physicists.
Where is the Physicists pay lead widest?
State rows above are sorted by absolute OEWS median gap so the widest Physicists leads over Agricultural Technicians surface first. National gap: $122,620/year (71%).

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Related

Data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. See our methodology for details. Source: BLS OEWS national median annual wages, percentiles, and employment totals.