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Farming & outdoors

Agricultural inspectors

Typically requires Bachelor's degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
RiskyMedium uncertainty

Analyst take: Softer prospects — +1.5% projected growth, low AI exposure (29/100).

37
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (29% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Below-median pay ($50,990).
  • Slow growth — behind 59% of careers.
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected -0.7% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +3.5%. The forecast held up well — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+1.5%
Median pay
$50,990
AI exposure
29/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 8 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$54,206
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$25,110
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
2.2×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Agricultural and Food Products Processing
Selective schools offering these majors
University of Florida
FL · 24% admit rate
$22,523/yr
$71,588 grad pay
Texas A&M University-College Station
TX · 57% admit rate
$32,696/yr
$72,097 grad pay
Ohio State University-Main Campus
OH · 61% admit rate
$30,305/yr
$60,409 grad pay
Morningside University
IA · 71% admit rate
$52,577/yr
$55,494 grad pay
Kansas State University
KS · 82% admit rate
$27,402/yr
$57,262 grad pay
Angelo State University
TX · 83% admit rate
$23,441/yr
$50,116 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

hands-onoutdoorsagriculture