Scout wet ground with a grower
Tour the land with the grower, talk through wet spots, and inspect the ground before drawing the drainage.
Career profile
Agricultural Engineer
Agricultural engineers design the equipment and systems used to grow, move, and process farm products.
Engineering math meets biology here: the machines have to cope with living things, and every design has to fit what plants, livestock, and soil require.
A day in the life
Shape an equipment part on screen
On machinery projects, you shape a part for equipment like a planter in a computer-aided design program.
Check test results against targets
Put the trial numbers beside the design targets, and if the equipment falls short, work out the fixes.
Rework specs with the builder
Go over drawings and costs together with the builder, then revise specs to fix the construction problem.
Quick facts
Bachelor's degree
United States
$98,590/year
United States · May 2025
6.9% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor's degreeAn engineering degree is the usual starting point.
Pay
$98,590/yearNational median for agricultural engineers; equivalent to $47.40/hour.
Outlook
6.9% projected growthAbout 100 openings per year nationwide, averaged over the projection period.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You want to understand how soil or crops change what a machine needs to do.
- You enjoy testing an idea and revising it when measurements disagree.
- You like explaining a design so someone else can use it.
Things to weigh
- Outdoor projects follow the weather; manufacturing problems can need attention outside normal hours.
- Expect substantial office time, even when your designs end up in fields or barns.
Where AI may help
In fruit-harvesting research, cameras and artificial intelligence help robots locate apples and assess ripeness.
What people still lead
Engineers choose sensors, build picking mechanisms, and test how the parts work together in an orchard.
What we can’t predict yet
How reliably robots can find and pick fruit behind leaves or in difficult lighting remains a development challenge. That affects how much harvesting they can take over.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a comparison point when reading offers, rather than as a starting salary.
The midpoint
Agricultural engineers earned a median $98,590 a year, equivalent to $47.40 an hour. Half earned more and half earned less.
The national spread
The 10th-percentile wage was $68,060 and the 90th-percentile wage was $166,460 a year. These describe the wage distribution, not beginner and senior pay rates.
Openings include replacement
Employment is projected to grow 6.9%. About 100 annual openings include jobs created by growth and openings when workers leave the occupation.
Getting started
Study agricultural engineering
- What the route involves
- Combine calculus and physics with design projects involving machinery, agricultural buildings, or soil and water. Look for laboratory work and internships.
- What it can lead to
- This supplies the usual degree preparation for entry-level agricultural engineering jobs.
Bring a related engineering degree
- What the route involves
- Study a related engineering field, such as biological engineering, and build agricultural experience through projects or internships.
- What it can lead to
- You can pursue agricultural engineering roles that match your preparation, including conservation work involving water and erosion.
- What to check
- Federal conservation engineering jobs have specific degree and coursework criteria; check the vacancy against your transcript.
Build toward an engineering bachelor's degree. New engineers usually begin with experienced engineers supervising their work.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Learn how your employer checks drawings and test results. Use review comments to improve your next design.
Handle harder projects
Take on more difficult designs and make more of the decisions about how to solve performance problems.
Specialize or lead
Develop deeper expertise in machinery, animal facilities, or water systems, or advance to leading engineers and technicians.
Where you can work
Conservation offices and farms
Work with landowners on irrigation, livestock water, or erosion problems. Office design work connects directly to conditions on the land.
- Office
- Field work
- Outdoors
Agricultural research teams
Work with researchers to build and test new equipment. In harvesting robotics, orchard trials expose problems that a controlled setup may miss.
- Indoors
- Field work
- Outdoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Sketch a small vegetable plot with a water source and a path for equipment. Draw two possible irrigation layouts, compare pipe length and access, then list the measurements you would need before choosing. Notice whether you enjoy connecting plant needs with a buildable design.
Stay safe: Keep this a paper exercise; it is not an installation plan.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Agricultural Engineers — 17-2021.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — May 2025 national estimates, SOC 17-2021. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, Table 1.2 — 2025–2035, SOC 17-2021. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook — Agricultural Engineers. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Iowa State University. Agricultural Engineering — 2026–2027 Catalog. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Careers — Engineer. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Development of Innovative Technologies for Pre-harvest Precision Quality/Maturity Assessment and Robotic Harvesting of Fruits. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Licensure. Accessed 2026-10-10.