Agricultural Technicians
Work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Set up or maintain laboratory equipment and collect samples from crops or animals. Prepare specimens or record data to assist scientists in biology or related life science experiments. Conduct tests and experiments to improve yield and quality of crops or to increase the resistance of plants and animals to disease or insects.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-4012.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,980 | $40,950 | $49,630 | $63,630 | $76,480 |
By state (40)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $62,990 | ||
| Arkansas | 260 | $46,750 | 2.02 |
| California | 2,420 | $60,320 | 1.37 |
| Colorado | 100 | $47,020 | 0.34 |
| Delaware | $52,510 | ||
| Florida | 240 | $42,700 | 0.25 |
| Georgia | 1,020 | $48,960 | 2.15 |
| Hawaii | 150 | $47,960 | 2.39 |
| Idaho | 650 | $48,870 | 7.81 |
| Illinois | 700 | $46,410 | 1.17 |
| Indiana | 410 | $46,170 | 1.31 |
| Iowa | $64,070 | ||
| Kansas | 450 | $47,200 | 3.24 |
| Kentucky | 210 | $59,860 | 1.05 |
| Maine | 50 | $47,410 | 0.81 |
| Maryland | 200 | $49,680 | 0.74 |
| Michigan | 450 | $42,780 | 1.05 |
| Minnesota | 530 | $57,310 | 1.84 |
| Mississippi | 190 | $48,800 | 1.67 |
| Missouri | 420 | $54,060 | 1.47 |
| Nebraska | 580 | $47,420 | 5.85 |
| Nevada | 40 | $43,590 | 0.26 |
| New Hampshire | 30 | $42,520 | 0.49 |
| New Jersey | $54,370 | ||
| New York | 380 | $45,830 | 0.41 |
| North Carolina | 550 | $51,470 | 1.14 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $46,960 | 2.43 |
| Ohio | 140 | Not available | 0.26 |
| Oklahoma | $37,840 | ||
| Oregon | 480 | $46,800 | 2.51 |
| Pennsylvania | 110 | $48,800 | 0.19 |
| South Carolina | 100 | $41,290 | 0.44 |
| South Dakota | 350 | $41,420 | 7.78 |
| Tennessee | 60 | $45,130 | 0.20 |
| Texas | 120 | $50,270 | 0.09 |
| Utah | 40 | $46,560 | 0.23 |
| Virginia | 170 | $41,210 | 0.43 |
| Washington | 470 | $48,220 | 1.36 |
| Wisconsin | 620 | $46,470 | 2.17 |
| Wyoming | 30 | $63,120 | 1.26 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Agricultural Technicians, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Quality Control Analysis | 1.50 | 0.939 |
| Food Science Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 1.75 | 0.934 |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 2.00 | 0.931 |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | Troubleshooting | 0.76 | 0.925 |
| Energy Auditors | Systems Evaluation | 1.25 | 0.922 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Agricultural Technicians, excluding software Agricultural Technicians already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| ESRI ArcPad | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Human machine interface HMI software | 3 of 20 | 13.8x |
| Geomechanical design analysis GDA software | 3 of 20 | 9.9x |
| ESRI ArcGIS software | 6 of 20 | 3.0x |
| Database software | 8 of 20 | 2.2x |
| Payroll software | 3 of 20 | 8.1x |
| ESRI ArcView | 4 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Geographic information system GIS software | 3 of 20 | 2.0x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 5 of 20 | 1.3x |
| SAS | 3 of 20 | 1.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Food Production | 3.61 | 4.24 |
| Biology | 3.55 | 3.70 |
| Chemistry | 3.40 | 3.99 |
| Mechanical | 3.36 | 3.88 |
| Mathematics | 3.15 | 3.57 |
| Administration and Management | 3.01 | 3.39 |
| English Language | 2.96 | 3.19 |
| Education and Training | 2.87 | 3.15 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.87 | 2.80 |
| Building and Construction | 2.75 | 2.96 |
| Physics | 2.73 | 3.20 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.71 | 3.52 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.69 | 3.07 |
| Production and Processing | 2.69 | 2.80 |
| Administrative | 2.67 | 2.70 |
| Design | 2.60 | 2.73 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.57 | 2.51 |
| Transportation | 2.57 | 2.39 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.46 | 1.75 |
| Geography | 2.21 | 2.73 |
| Communications and Media | 2.07 | 1.71 |
| Telecommunications | 2.07 | 1.35 |
| Law and Government | 2.02 | 1.94 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.02 | 1.60 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.95 | 1.14 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.65 | 1.11 |
| Psychology | 1.60 | 0.87 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.57 | 1.44 |
| Foreign Language | 1.44 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.40 | 0.70 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.34 | 0.66 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.25 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.03 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Information Ordering | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Control Precision | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Depth Perception | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Static Strength | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Reaction Time | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Memorization | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Rate Control | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Sound Localization | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Night Vision | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.50 |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- Email software
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- Global positioning system GPS software
- Statistical software
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ames, IA | 140 | 25.16 | $48,430 |
| Twin Falls, ID | 120 | 24.52 | $46,280 |
| Jefferson City, MO | 140 | 17.94 | $40,540 |
| Madison, WI | 250 | 6.25 | $47,030 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 120 | 5.60 | $64,790 |
| Modesto, CA | 100 | 5.50 | $49,730 |
| Boise City, ID | 210 | 5.49 | $49,220 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 460 | 4.35 | $62,680 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 160 | 3.39 | $38,030 |
| Fresno, CA | 150 | 3.17 | $52,160 |