Occupation salary profile

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

SOC 11-9013 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, and supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, and financial and marketing activities. Excludes “First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers” (45-1011).

National median · BLS
$89,900
▲ +2.18% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$83,192
▼ -7.56% YoY · 50 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$99,820
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
6,500
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 50 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$54,320$53,900
25th$66,300$68,921
Median (50th)$89,900$83,192
75th$118,860$99,144
90th — top pay$160,020$121,200
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $83,192 for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers — 7.5% below the BLS national median of $89,900.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

BLS projects employment of farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers to decline 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 70,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
788,700 → 762,200
-26,500 jobs
Projected change
-3.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
70,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus 5 years or more experience
Self-employed
66.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $83,192
Change vs prior year -7.56%
After inflation (CPI-U) -10.37%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 24 48% $57,898 $73,817 $83,908
Level II 13 26% $72,800 $78,000 $83,185
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
  • Management of Personnel Resources3.6
  • Speaking3.6
  • Coordination3.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.5
  • Active Learning3.4
  • Monitoring3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Administration and Management4.1
  • Production and Processing3.9
  • Biology3.8
  • Mathematics3.6
  • English Language3.4
  • Personnel and Human Resources3.4
  • Food Production3.4
  • Economics and Accounting3.3
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAdobe PhotoshopAtlassian ConfluenceFacebookMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft WordSAP softwareAccutech Systems Corporation AccuFarm-MGRAdvanced Veterinary Services Ranch VisionAg Connections Land.dbAg Leader Technology SMS AdvancedAGCO Advanced Technology Solutions FieldstarAgData Blue Skies AccountingAgevo Farm Manager

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers do

  • Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
  • Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
  • Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques.
  • Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
  • Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
  • Determine plant growing conditions, such as greenhouses, hydroponics, or natural settings, and set planting and care schedules.
  • Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
  • Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
Also called
Aquaculture DirectorFarm ManagerGreenhouse ManagerRanch ManagerFarm Operations Technical DirectorFish Hatchery ManagerHarvesting ManagerHatchery ManagerHatchery SupervisorNursery Manager
More job titles for this occupation (63)
Accredited Farm Manager (AFM)Activation ManagerAgricultural Crop Farm ManagerAgricultural ManagerAgriculture FarmerAgriculture ManagerAgronomy ManagerAgronomy Operations ManagerAnimal Husbandry ManagerAnnual Greenhouse ManagerAquaculture Cooperative Marketing DirectorAquaculture Farm ManagerAquaculture Program DirectorBarn and Property ManagerBeef Farm OperatorBeekeeperChristmas Tree Farm ManagerCrop or Livestock Tenant FarmerCrop, Grain, or Livestock Farm ManagerDairy Farm ManagerDairy GrazierDairy ManagerFacility Operations ManagerFarm Facility ManagerFarm Field ManagerFarm Operations ManagerFarmerFarmers Market ManagerFeedlot ManagerField ManagerFruit or Nut Crops Farm ManagerGame Breeding Farm ManagerGarden Center ManagerGeneral Farm ManagerGermination Testing ManagerGreenhouse Project ManagerGrowerHorticultural Farm ManagerHorticultural ManagerHorticulture ManagerHorticulture SuperintendentLivestock Farm ManagerLocation ManagerOrchard ManagerOrganic FarmerOrganic Vegetable Farm ManagerPerennial House ManagerPineapple Plantation ManagerPlant Culture ManagerPlant Health ManagerPlant ManagerPlant Nursery ManagerPoultry Barn ManagerPoultry Hatchery ManagerProducer Arborist ManagerProduction SuperintendentPropagation ManagerRange ManagerSeed Cleaning ManagerSeed Corn Production ManagerShellfish ManagerSow Farm ManagerSugar Plantation Manager

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.