Agricultural Inspectors
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
Also called: Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG), Agricultural Commodities Inspector, Agricultural Commodity Grader (ACG), Agricultural Products Agent, Agriculture Inspector, Apiary Inspector
Median pay
$49,940
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$37,020 – $79,580
People employed
14,410
Holland code
RCI
Realistic · Conventional · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you OK working outdoors in all kinds of weather?
- 2.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 3.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
The hard parts
- Work outdoors in all weather
- Tight deadlines are common
- Long hours on your feet
Agricultural Inspectors pay by state
Annual median pay by state (43 states with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What agricultural inspectors do
- 01Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
- 02Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants.
- 03Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates.
- 04Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
- 05Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised.
- 06Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
Skills that matter most
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Administrative
- Mathematics
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.
- On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from agricultural inspectors
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping81% · −7%
- Construction and Building Inspectors79% · +50%
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians77% · +23%
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers75% · −3%
- Food Science Technicians74% · +4%
Change into agricultural inspectors
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Animal Control Workers76% · $45,660
- Food Science Technicians76% · $52,130
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors74% · $80,730
- Pest Control Workers74% · $45,250
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping74% · $46,380
Majors that lead here
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.