Agricultural Production Operations
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | $41,868 | $35,216 to $47,427 | 16 | 69% |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,664 | $42,324 to $63,519 | 16 | 94% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 111,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | $89,900 | -3.4% | 70,800 |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | $36,670 | -3.2% | 26,600 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | $59,320 | +3.8% | 7,200 |
| Conservation Scientists | $73,010 | +5.3% | 2,100 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $78,850 | +6.7% | 1,400 |
| Animal Breeders | $51,130 | +3% | 1,000 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a agricultural production operations program, of 239 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Ivy Tech Community College
- Reedley College
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- Coalinga College
- Moorpark College
- College of the Sequoias
- Kirkwood Community College
- Mississippi State University
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.