Agricultural Technicians
Also called: Agricultural Research Technician (Agricultural Research Tech), Agricultural Technician (Agricultural Tech), Agriculture Assistant, Seed AnalystWork 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 26 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.4% 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.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Agricultural technicians”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 36% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $62,990 | $51,900 to $75,950 | not published |
| Arkansas | $46,750 | $40,100 to $55,880 | 260 |
| California | $60,320 | $46,710 to $63,770 | 2,420 |
| Colorado | $47,020 | $38,060 to $69,820 | 100 |
| Delaware | $52,510 | $39,760 to $66,730 | not published |
| Florida | $42,700 | $40,130 to $55,660 | 240 |
| Georgia | $48,960 | $29,120 to $57,100 | 1,020 |
| Hawaii | $47,960 | $46,660 to $53,390 | 150 |
| Idaho | $48,870 | $45,330 to $60,180 | 650 |
| Illinois | $46,410 | $39,960 to $61,630 | 700 |
| Indiana | $46,170 | $37,360 to $63,980 | 410 |
| Iowa | $64,070 | $41,600 to $75,990 | not published |
| Kansas | $47,200 | $42,050 to $66,610 | 450 |
| Kentucky | $59,860 | $43,660 to $72,510 | 210 |
| Maine | $47,410 | $39,900 to $51,790 | 50 |
| Maryland | $49,680 | $48,980 to $64,920 | 200 |
| Michigan | $42,780 | $40,170 to $60,630 | 450 |
| Minnesota | $57,310 | $47,940 to $82,300 | 530 |
| Mississippi | $48,800 | $38,500 to $63,370 | 190 |
| Missouri | $54,060 | $40,840 to $64,890 | 420 |
| Nebraska | $47,420 | $39,330 to $51,740 | 580 |
| Nevada | $43,590 | $38,980 to $49,920 | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $42,520 | $42,520 to $48,310 | 30 |
| New Jersey | $54,370 | $45,500 to $80,170 | not published |
| New York | $45,830 | $41,090 to $52,220 | 380 |
| North Carolina | $51,470 | $41,350 to $54,760 | 550 |
| North Dakota | $46,960 | $44,070 to $59,580 | 100 |
| Ohio | not published | not published | 140 |
| Oklahoma | $37,840 | $31,810 to $45,650 | not published |
| Oregon | $46,800 | $38,720 to $57,980 | 480 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,800 | $40,110 to $73,410 | 110 |
| South Carolina | $41,290 | $37,450 to $50,800 | 100 |
| South Dakota | $41,420 | $37,300 to $49,500 | 350 |
| Tennessee | $45,130 | $37,310 to $52,490 | 60 |
| Texas | $50,270 | $41,190 to $75,460 | 120 |
| Utah | $46,560 | $40,760 to $51,240 | 40 |
| Virginia | $41,210 | $33,200 to $58,890 | 170 |
| Washington | $48,220 | $43,520 to $53,550 | 470 |
| Wisconsin | $46,470 | $39,420 to $51,570 | 620 |
| Wyoming | $63,120 | $61,710 to $68,830 | 30 |
Nationally: $49,630. 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 5 of its 26 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect animal or crop samples. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring. | Not published |
See all 26 tasks
| Not much | Examine animals or crop specimens to determine the presence of diseases or other problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise or train agricultural technicians or farm laborers. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare data summaries, reports, or analyses that include results, charts, or graphs to document research findings and results. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Measure or weigh ingredients used in laboratory testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up laboratory or field equipment as required for site testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare laboratory samples for analysis, following proper protocols to ensure that they will be stored, prepared, and disposed of efficiently and effectively. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise pest or weed control operations, including locating and identifying pests or weeds, selecting chemicals and application methods, or scheduling application. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record environmental data from field samples of soil, air, water, or pests to monitor the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct studies of nitrogen or alternative fertilizer application methods, quantities, or timing to ensure satisfaction of crop needs and minimization of leaching, runoff, or denitrification. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform laboratory or field testing, using spectrometers, nitrogen determination apparatus, air samplers, centrifuges, or potential hydrogen (pH) meters to perform tests. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare or present agricultural demonstrations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Respond to general inquiries or requests from the public. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform tests on seeds to evaluate seed viability. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct insect or plant disease surveys. | Not published |
| Not much | Transplant trees, vegetables, or horticultural plants. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine the germination rates of seeds planted in specified areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform general nursery duties, such as propagating standard varieties of plant materials, collecting and germinating seeds, maintaining cuttings of plants, or controlling environmental conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Devise cultural methods or environmental controls for plants for which guidelines are sketchy or nonexistent. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare culture media, following standard procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Assess comparative soil erosion from various planting or tillage systems, such as conservation tillage with mulch or ridge till systems, no-till systems, or conventional tillage systems with or without moldboard plows. | 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 26 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 26 tasks fall under 19 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.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #45 Research biological or ecological phenomena
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research agricultural processes or practices | |||
| Perform agricultural activities | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Research biological or ecological phenomena | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Prepare specimens or materials for testing | |||
| Manage agricultural or forestry operations | |||
| Present research or technical information |
Show all 19 activities
| Set up equipment | |||
| Care for plants or animals | |||
| Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Develop sustainable organizational or business policies or practices | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Operate laboratory or field equipment | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Operate agricultural or forestry equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer71%
- Advice or a recommendation5%
- A document or report4%
- A chart or visualization3%
- A script or snippet2%
How they worked with Claude
24% 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 technicians 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 4,331 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,094 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 2 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 3%
- 3 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Agricultural and Food Science Technicians”, which today also includes “Food Science Technicians”, so these figures cover it too. 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
- 3% less than high school
- 41% high school
- 5% some college
- 13% associate's
- 18% bachelor's
- 6% post-bachelor's certificate
- 5% master's
- 7% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 16% high school
- 22% some college
- 11% associate's
- 31% bachelor's
- 11% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 7% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians” · 3,263 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians”
9 programs, such as Agriculture, General, Animal Sciences, General and Dairy Science.
See all
- Agriculture, General
- Animal Sciences, General
- Dairy Science
- Poultry Science
- Plant Sciences, General
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Soil Science and Agronomy, General
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs, Other
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
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
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