Headline risk
31%
High RiskSoil and plant scientists
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 6% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 71,410
Employment 2024
20.7K
Projected Change (2024–34)
5.4%
Openings (2024–34)
1.7K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops. AI use: 75%
- 2. Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growth, or avoid or correct problems such as erosion. AI use: 0%
- 3. Conduct experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms of plant growth and response to the environment. AI use: 0%
- 4. Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects. AI use: 0%
- 5. Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity. AI use: 0%
- 6. Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resistance, nutritional value, or adaptation to specific soils or climates. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 39.8 · 106K employed
Under 25: 8% · 25–54: 71% · 55+: 22%
Related
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency, quality, and safety of agricultural and food production establishments.
Agricultural and food scientists work in laboratories, in offices, and in the field. Most agricultural and food scientists work full time.
Agricultural and food scientists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in animal science, food science, plant biology, or a related field. Employers may prefer or require a master’s or doctoral degree.
The median annual wage for agricultural and food scientists was $78,770 in May 2024.
Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.