Occupation salary profile

Agricultural Inspectors

SOC 45-2011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.

National median · BLS
$49,940
▼ -2.06% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$52,977
▲ +1.59% YoY · 142 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$54,910
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
14,410
Jobs (BLS)
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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 Agricultural Inspectors

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 142 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$37,020$48,464
25th$42,330$52,582
Median (50th)$49,940$52,977
75th$64,500$54,184
90th — top pay$79,580$54,184
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $52,977 for Agricultural Inspectors — 6.1% above the BLS national median of $49,940.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Agricultural Inspectors

BLS projects employment of agricultural inspectors to grow 2.3% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
17,800 → 18,200
+400 jobs
Projected change
+2.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

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 $52,977
Change vs prior year +1.59%
After inflation (CPI-U) -1.49%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 14 9.9% $49,546 $49,968 $49,968
Level II 116 81.7% $52,977 $54,184 $54,184
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Agricultural Inspectors

The 1 most-filed job titles inside SOC 45-2011, from 142 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Quality Control Supervisor 116 81.69% $52,977 $54,184 $54,184 +3.91%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Agricultural Inspectors

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
  • Quality Control Analysis4.1
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Speaking3.5
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Operations Monitoring3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service3.5
  • Administration and Management3.4
  • Law and Government3.3
  • Administrative3.3
  • Mathematics3.2
  • Public Safety and Security3.2
  • English Language3.1
  • Education and Training2.9
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordImage processing softwareMicrosoft Internet ExplorerOperational databases

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 agricultural inspectors do

  • Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
  • Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
  • Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
  • Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.
  • Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
  • Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.
  • Examine, weigh, and measure commodities, such as poultry, eggs, meat, or seafood to certify qualities, grades, and weights.
  • Provide consultative services in areas such as equipment or product evaluation, plant construction or layout, or food safety systems.
Also called
Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG)Apiary InspectorBrand InspectorGrain InspectorAgricultural Products AgentCSI (Consumer Safety Inspector)Food InspectorFood Safety InspectorFSIS Inspector (Food Safety and Inspection Service Inspector)Shipping Point Inspector
More job titles for this occupation (32)
Agricultural Commodities InspectorAgricultural Commodity Grader (ACG)Agriculture InspectorCattle ExaminerCattle InspectorCotton InspectorDairy InspectorEggs InspectorFertilizer SpecialistField Disease and Insect Control InspectorField InspectorFish Hatchery InspectorFish InspectorFlour InspectorFood Product InspectorFood Safety AuditorFruit InspectorLand InspectorLivestock Brands InspectorLivestock InspectorLogging Operations Inspector (Logging Ops Inspector)Meat InspectorMilk InspectorMilk TesterPlant InspectorPoultry GraderPoultry InspectorTobacco ClasserTobacco GraderTree InspectorVegetable InspectorWheat Inspector

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.