Career Explorer Farming, fishing, forestry
Human edge, steady
Agricultural inspectors
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 62% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.3% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $49,940
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.3%
- Openings a year
- 2,500
- People doing it (2025)
- 17,800
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise others on business or operational matters
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards
- Mark materials or objects for identification
- Package objects
What the work looks like
- Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
- Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants.
- Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates.
- Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
- Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Forensic science techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 87, +13.3%
- EmbalmersHuman edge, steady, Index 87, +0.7%
- Diagnostic medical sonographersHuman edge, growing, Index 84, +13.9%
- Medical equipment repairersHuman edge, growing, Index 92, +12.6%
Also known as: Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG), Apiary Inspector, Brand Inspector, Grain Inspector, Agricultural Products Agent, CSI (Consumer Safety Inspector), Food Inspector, Food Safety Inspector.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.