Agricultural Inspectors
Also called: Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG), Agricultural Commodities Inspector, Agricultural Commodity Grader (ACG), Agricultural Products Agent, Agriculture Inspector, Apiary Inspector, Brand Inspector, Cattle Examiner
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
What agricultural inspectors do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
- Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants.
- Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates.
- Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Agricultural Inspectors salary
The median annual wage for agricultural inspectors is $49,940 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $37,020 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $79,580. The mean annual wage is $54,910.
The mean hourly wage of $26.00 is 3.6× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Agricultural Inspectors (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $49,940 → in 3 years $54,500 → in 5 years $57,700 → in 10 years $66,700 (10-year range $57,400–$77,400). The model assumes pay growth of +2.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Agricultural Inspectors
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Agricultural Inspectors? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Agricultural Inspectors
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Agricultural Inspectors
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become agricultural inspectors
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as agricultural inspectors
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.