Agricultural Engineers
Also called: Agricultural Engineer, Engineer, Project Engineer, Research Agricultural EngineerApply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing of agricultural products.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 14 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 40% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $57,740 | $55,470 to $76,890 | 40 |
| Colorado | $88,650 | $77,120 to $100,420 | 30 |
| Illinois | not published | not published | 40 |
| Indiana | $94,730 | $86,320 to $105,440 | 150 |
| Iowa | $96,290 | $88,670 to $135,980 | 100 |
| Michigan | $80,490 | $76,550 to $97,380 | not published |
| Minnesota | $115,940 | $104,710 to $125,210 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $91,560 | $76,440 to $127,230 | 40 |
| Missouri | not published | not published | 120 |
| Ohio | $119,250 | $94,790 to $129,400 | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $86,970 | $68,060 to $110,940 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,300 | $65,010 to $100,420 | not published |
| Puerto Rico | $40,690 | $38,500 to $48,340 | 40 |
| Texas | $95,220 | $87,600 to $106,330 | 50 |
Nationally: $98,590. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 9 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Prepare reports, sketches, working drawings, specifications, proposals, and budgets for proposed sites or systems. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Visit sites to observe environmental problems, to consult with contractors, or to monitor construction activities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Discuss plans with clients, contractors, consultants, and other engineers so that they can be evaluated and necessary changes made. | Not published |
| AI + software | Meet with clients, such as district or regional councils, farmers, and developers, to discuss their needs. | Not published |
| Not much | Test agricultural machinery and equipment to ensure adequate performance. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide advice on water quality and issues related to pollution management, river control, and ground and surface water resources. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Conduct educational programs that provide farmers or farm cooperative members with information that can help them improve agricultural productivity. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design sensing, measuring, and recording devices, and other instrumentation used to study plant or animal life. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design agricultural machinery components and equipment, using computer-aided design (CAD) technology. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan and direct construction of rural electric-power distribution systems, and irrigation, drainage, and flood control systems for soil and water conservation. | Not published |
| Not much | Design structures for crop storage, animal shelter and loading, and animal and crop processing, and supervise their construction. | Not published |
| Not much | Design and supervise environmental and land reclamation projects in agriculture and related industries. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design food processing plants and related mechanical systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise food processing or manufacturing plant operations. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #14 Create visual designs or displays
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Plan work activities | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Document technical designs, procedures, or activities | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations |
Show all 17 activities
| Design structures or facilities | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Advise others on environmental sustainability or green practices | |||
| Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities | |||
| Develop sustainable organizational or business policies or practices | |||
| Design electrical or electronic systems or equipment | |||
| Design industrial systems or equipment | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report28%
- A plan or strategy9%
- A design mockup9%
- An app or website8%
- A script or snippet4%
How they worked with Claude
69% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for agricultural engineers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 598 moves out
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 25%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 4 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Industrial Engineers Very high +12.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 569 moves in
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 15%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other Low -13.4% 6%
- 4 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% associate's
- 75% bachelor's
- 10% master's
- 10% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
1 program: Agricultural Engineering.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/17-2021.00