Best degree programs for Agricultural Technicians, ranked by enrollment
9 college programs and 1,722 schools train Agricultural Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $49,630 median wage, 15,130 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
9 college programs at 1,722 schools train agricultural technicians, graduating 103,708 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Biology/Biological Sciences, General. The job pays a median of $49,630 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About agricultural technicians
Work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Set up or maintain laboratory equipment and collect samples from crops or animals. Prepare specimens or record data to assist scientists in biology or related life science experiments. Conduct tests and experiments to improve yield and quality of crops or to increase the resistance of plants and animals to disease or insects.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
9 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101 | 90,079 | 86.9% | 1,660 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 01.0901 | 7,897 | 7.6% | 124 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 3 | Agriculture, Generalmain feeder CIP 01.0000 | 2,983 | 2.9% | 143 | $39,350 | $20,340 |
| 4 | CIP 01.1102 | 1,367 | 1.3% | 65 | $42,861 | $20,500 |
| 5 | CIP 01.1101 | 753 | 0.7% | 43 | $42,861 | $20,500 |
| 6 | CIP 01.1201 | 367 | 0.4% | 28 | $50,408 | $22,424 |
| 7 | CIP 01.0907 | 134 | 0.1% | 9 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 8 | CIP 01.0905 | 121 | 0.1% | 14 | $33,926 | $21,748 |
| 9 | CIP 01.1399 | 7 | 0.0% | 1 | $30,988 | $25,744 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What agricultural technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $60,320 | 2,420 | 1.37× | 171 | 14,994 |
| Texas | $50,270 | 120 | 0.09× | 97 | 10,238 |
| New York | $45,830 | 380 | 0.41× | 107 | 6,396 |
| Florida | $42,700 | 240 | 0.25× | 37 | 4,917 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,800 | 110 | 0.19× | 105 | 4,090 |
| North Carolina | $51,470 | 550 | 1.14× | 50 | 3,998 |
| Georgia | $48,960 | 1,020 | 2.15× | 51 | 3,228 |
| Virginia | $41,210 | 170 | 0.43× | 39 | 3,057 |
| Ohio | — | 140 | 0.26× | 66 | 2,957 |
| Illinois | $46,410 | 700 | 1.17× | 56 | 2,830 |
| Arizona | $62,990 | — | — | 25 | 2,722 |
| Michigan | $42,780 | 450 | 1.05× | 40 | 2,573 |
| New Jersey | $54,370 | — | — | 34 | 2,334 |
| Missouri | $54,060 | 420 | 1.47× | 46 | 2,115 |
| Wisconsin | $46,470 | 620 | 2.17× | 33 | 1,986 |
| South Carolina | $41,290 | 100 | 0.44× | 30 | 1,920 |
| Indiana | $46,170 | 410 | 1.31× | 42 | 1,895 |
| Tennessee | $45,130 | 60 | 0.20× | 37 | 1,728 |
| Minnesota | $57,310 | 530 | 1.84× | 48 | 1,674 |
| Maryland | $49,680 | 200 | 0.74× | 24 | 1,616 |
| Washington | $48,220 | 470 | 1.36× | 33 | 1,465 |
| Oklahoma | $37,840 | — | — | 33 | 1,384 |
| Colorado | $47,020 | 100 | 0.34× | 25 | 1,275 |
| Iowa | $64,070 | — | — | 41 | 1,144 |
| Mississippi | $48,800 | 190 | 1.67× | 24 | 1,132 |
| Kentucky | $59,860 | 210 | 1.05× | 25 | 1,069 |
| Oregon | $46,800 | 480 | 2.51× | 25 | 982 |
| Utah | $46,560 | 40 | 0.23× | 10 | 945 |
| Arkansas | $46,750 | 260 | 2.02× | 23 | 943 |
| Nebraska | $47,420 | 580 | 5.85× | 18 | 914 |
| Kansas | $47,200 | 450 | 3.24× | 25 | 851 |
| Idaho | $48,870 | 650 | 7.81× | 10 | 526 |
| Nevada | $43,590 | 40 | 0.26× | 5 | 474 |
| South Dakota | $41,420 | 350 | 7.78× | 10 | 466 |
| Maine | $47,410 | 50 | 0.81× | 15 | 394 |
| Delawaremoderate | $52,510 | — | — | 4 | 359 |
| North Dakota | $46,960 | 100 | 2.43× | 10 | 342 |
| Hawaii | $47,960 | 150 | 2.39× | 5 | 297 |
| New Hampshire | $42,520 | 30 | 0.49× | 14 | 291 |
| Wyoming | $63,120 | 30 | 1.26× | 7 | 180 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
- Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks.
- Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care.
- Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness.
- Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops.
- Collect animal or crop samples.
- Examine animals or crop specimens to determine the presence of diseases or other problems.
- Set up laboratory or field equipment as required for site testing.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Active Listening3.5
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Speaking3.4
- Writing3.3
- Active Learning3.3
- Monitoring3.2
- Mathematics3.1
Knowledge areas
- Food Production3.5
- Biology3.5
- Computers and Electronics3.4
- Mechanical3.3
- Customer and Personal Service3.3
- Mathematics3.3
Abilities
- Oral Expression3.8
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Written Comprehension3.7
- Deductive Reasoning3.7
- Near Vision3.7
- Written Expression3.6
Core activities
- Getting Information4.0
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.0
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
- Working with Computers3.8
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.8
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge3.8
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Agricultural Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Agricultural Technicians9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0000Agriculture, General
- 01.0901Animal Sciences, General
- 01.0905Dairy Science
- 01.0907Poultry Science
- 01.1101Plant Sciences, General
- 01.1102Agronomy and Crop Science
- 01.1201Soil Science and Agronomy, General
- 01.1399Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs, Other
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an Agricultural Technician?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 90,079 degrees in 2024-25, 86.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Agricultural Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Animal Sciences, Agriculture, Plant Sciences, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 103,708 people a year.
How much do agricultural technicians earn?+
The median is $49,630 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,980 at the 10th percentile to $76,480 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for agricultural technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 2,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,722 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do agricultural technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Agronomist, Seed Analyst, Crop Specialist, Precision Agronomist, Agriculture Assistant, Agricultural Technician (Agricultural Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card