If you are an agricultural inspector looking to find your perfect new home state, take a look at our list of the 25 best states for agricultural inspectors.
What does an agricultural inspector do? Generally, they are concerned with ensuring that agricultural entities are complying with the proper codes and standards. They employ their knowledge of safety and health regulations in order to inspect agricultural operations in a variety of sectors. Skills that make a great agricultural inspector include the ability and attention span necessary to maintain extensive knowledge of regulatory standards, a detail-oriented nature, and above average communication skills (including reading and writing).
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Becoming an agricultural inspector requires some education and training. All positions will require at least a high school diploma or GED, and most require an associates degree in biology, agricultural science, environmental science, or animal science, etc. Some prospective employers will also prefer a bachelors degree. Regardless of formal education, all candidates must have an extraordinary working knowledge of FDA policies and regulations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of an agricultural inspector is about $44,260 per year ($21.28 hourly). Working conditions may vary, as some will work on-site for meat plants, in fisheries, at border facilities to check incoming and outgoing shipment quality, on farms, and some even in forests to check logging operations.
If you are interested in a similar but slightly different field, you can also check our list of 10 best states for agricultural engineers.
Deciding which states qualify as the “best” is not a simple task. Different factors matter more to different people. We decided to consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics for information on the average mean wage and the number of employed agricultural inspectors in each state. We then sourced information on the cost of living index from Missouri Economic Research And Information Center. Considering all of these factors, we were able to sort our list.
It is not enough for a state to simply have a high average salary for its agricultural inspectors. It must also be considered that the number of working agricultural inspectors in the state may affect the number of job positions that are open to newcomers. On the other side of that argument, more employed agricultural inspectors points to the possibility of a more steady stream of work available. The cost of living index can also not be considered alone. It is great to have a low cost of living, but this only matters if your salary is also not super low. A low cost of living paired with a high salary is the most advantageous situation. States falling into this category made the top of our list of best states for agricultural inspectors. Also, please note that 13 states did not have enough information to include in our list.
Without further ado, here is our list of 25 best states for agricultural inspectors.
