How much does an agriculture professor make?
a year · about $47 an hour
A typical agriculture professor in the United States makes $98,700 a year, about $47 an hour, about 1.9× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
They teach crop, plant, or soil science, then meet students and oversee lab or field work. Between classes, they grade assignments and run research projects that may be published.
Did you know? At an Arkansas university, researchers found that tiny hairs on rice flowers can trap and kill fall armyworm caterpillars.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $50,870 and $163,150How do you become one?
In the U.S., study agricultural science for a bachelor’s degree, then usually continue to a Ph.D. Some community colleges may hire teachers with a master’s degree; there’s no set starting age, and many begin after graduate school.
School needed: Graduate degree or long training
Good for people who like helping and teaching and figuring things out
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., pay can differ with experience, advanced study or useful credentials, and whether someone works at a university or community college. Location, full- or part-time hours, and how specialized or demanding the work is can also matter.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in Michigan ($136,130), lowest in Ohio ($46,160).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,870 | $98,700 | $163,150 | about 9,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $136,130 | about 240 |
| New Jersey | $131,380 | about 50 |
| Maryland | $129,920 | about 90 |
| Tennessee | $128,270 | about 350 |
| Delaware | $126,770 | about 70 |
Official definition: Teach courses in the agricultural sciences. Includes teachers of agronomy, dairy sciences, fisheries management, horticultural sciences, poultry sciences, range management, and agricultural soil conservation. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research. Excludes “Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary” (25-1043).
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1041.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- asuforlife.asu.edu/careers/agricultural-sciences-teachers-postsecondary
- aaes.uada.edu/news/may-2026-newsletter
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY