Animal Breeders
Median $51,130
Occupation · SOC 45-2011
Agricultural Inspectors: pay and where the jobs are
What agricultural inspectors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$49,940 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $54,910
- Median hourly wage
- $24.01
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.40
- Employment
- 14,410
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 45-2011.
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See where your pay falls among agricultural inspectors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do agricultural inspectors make?
The median annual wage for agricultural inspectors was $49,940 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,020 and the highest-paid 10% more than $79,580. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.01. About 14,410 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Minnesota ($77,150), New York ($73,920) and Ohio ($69,280). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Ohio.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for agricultural inspectors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,020 | $17.80 | $3,085 | $2,660 |
| 25th percentile | $42,330 | $20.35 | $3,528 | $3,016 |
| Median | $49,940 | $24.01 | $4,162 | $3,526 |
| 75th percentile | $64,500 | $31.01 | $5,375 | $4,500 |
| 90th percentile | $79,580 | $38.26 | $6,632 | $5,401 |
Agricultural Inspectors: pay by state
43 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$60,477 take-home in national prices
2
$59,868 take-home in national prices
3
$58,269 take-home in national prices
Where a median agricultural inspector paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 180 | $77,150 | $53,290 | $97,860 | $59,043 | $59,868 |
| New York | 340 | $73,920 | $44,030 | $95,570 | $57,088 | $52,897 |
| Ohio | 210 | $69,280 | $51,810 | $79,440 | $56,107 | $60,477 |
| Michigan | 320 | $65,730 | $49,460 | $92,600 | $52,451 | $54,514 |
| Vermont | 60 | $63,630 | $54,660 | $87,070 | $51,609 | $52,685 |
| Louisiana | 150 | $63,130 | $49,940 | $83,780 | $51,397 | $58,269 |
| Washington | 450 | $62,880 | $46,740 | $80,640 | $51,832 | $48,435 |
| Illinois | 470 | $62,000 | $44,130 | $93,590 | $49,073 | $49,093 |
| Hawaii | 90 | $60,650 | $41,970 | $83,050 | $47,803 | $43,477 |
| Maryland | 150 | $58,160 | $40,200 | $78,860 | $46,515 | $44,317 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $57,590 | $39,630 | $73,600 | $48,454 | $54,467 |
| Pennsylvania | 520 | $55,650 | $45,620 | $80,480 | $45,147 | $46,271 |
| Nebraska | 370 | $55,090 | $40,880 | $64,940 | $44,818 | $49,741 |
| Utah | 120 | $53,930 | $41,290 | $67,200 | $43,615 | $44,116 |
| Wisconsin | 220 | $53,640 | $42,900 | $68,160 | $43,524 | $46,255 |
| California | 2,340 | $53,620 | $38,150 | $93,100 | $43,310 | $39,117 |
| Oklahoma | 170 | $53,060 | $38,910 | $70,820 | $42,972 | $48,919 |
| Oregon | 110 | $53,060 | $43,450 | $68,040 | $41,056 | $39,721 |
| New Mexico | 170 | $52,450 | $36,820 | $66,870 | $43,024 | $46,658 |
| Kansas | 190 | $51,630 | $37,600 | $75,360 | $41,583 | $46,169 |
| Delaware | 90 | $51,590 | $43,080 | $82,930 | $41,240 | $41,319 |
| Colorado | 280 | $50,430 | $45,250 | $73,340 | $40,968 | $39,755 |
| South Carolina | 90 | $49,940 | $37,110 | $67,200 | $41,311 | $44,066 |
| Texas | 590 | $49,940 | $40,330 | $83,150 | $42,307 | $43,590 |
| Iowa | 560 | $49,600 | $45,590 | $78,890 | $40,801 | $46,490 |
| Idaho | 280 | $48,650 | $34,990 | $64,770 | $39,800 | $41,678 |
| Indiana | 480 | $48,560 | $34,110 | $74,740 | $39,795 | $42,639 |
| Tennessee | 410 | $47,840 | $40,580 | $61,110 | $40,619 | $44,214 |
| North Carolina | 290 | $47,760 | $34,250 | $68,700 | $39,158 | $41,514 |
| Virginia | 380 | $47,380 | $41,640 | $64,360 | $38,340 | $37,921 |
| Kentucky | 270 | $46,640 | $36,480 | $67,200 | $38,140 | $42,304 |
| Massachusetts | 70 | $46,510 | $38,890 | $89,960 | $37,231 | $35,205 |
| Missouri | 450 | $46,220 | $37,960 | $61,110 | $38,083 | $41,934 |
| Arizona | 160 | $45,700 | $37,440 | $55,780 | $38,151 | $37,895 |
| Florida | 520 | $43,990 | $35,360 | $63,270 | $37,526 | $36,287 |
| Arkansas | 410 | $42,060 | $37,490 | $48,810 | $34,907 | $40,152 |
| Maine | 110 | $41,760 | $37,610 | $66,480 | $34,321 | $35,365 |
| New Jersey | 60 | $41,520 | $35,630 | $79,210 | $34,444 | $31,657 |
| Georgia | 1,390 | $41,460 | $31,050 | $58,160 | $34,173 | $35,488 |
| Mississippi | 190 | $39,960 | $29,870 | $45,600 | $33,421 | $38,436 |
| Alabama | 290 | $39,300 | $31,450 | $67,340 | $32,159 | $36,206 |
| Nevada | 50 | $39,270 | $39,270 | $79,750 | $33,733 | $33,741 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $36,670 | $31,190 | $60,910 | $31,644 | $34,140 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 45-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.