# Agricultural Equipment Operators

> Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/agricultural-equipment-operators
- SOC code: 45-2091.00
- Career family: Farming, fishing and forestry
- Median annual pay: $41,730 (10th percentile $33,500, 90th percentile $58,650)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +8.6%
- Openings a year: 10,100
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 25 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 0 |
| Enterprising (E) | 6 |
| Conventional (C) | 45 |

## What you'd do

- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 86/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 82/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 80/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 79/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 79/100)
- Processing Information (importance 78/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 74/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 73/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 69/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 68/100)

## Skills

Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Active Listening, Equipment Maintenance, Quality Control Analysis, Repairing, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination

## Knowledge

English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics, Transportation, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry, Law and Government, Design

## Also called

Agricultural Equipment Operator (Ag Equipment Operator), Agricultural Farm Equipment Operator, Agricultural Plow Operator, Agriculture Equipment Operator, Baler, Baler Operator, Bean Picker Machine Operator, Berry Picker Machine Operator, Broomcorn Thresher, Cane Cutter Machine Operator

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Agricultural Mechanization](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0102) (CIP 0102, 90 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Iowa State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/iowa-state-university-1305) | Agricultural Mechanization | $69,450 | $78,890 | $15,777 |
| [Kansas State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/kansas-state-university-1364) | Agricultural Mechanization | not reported | $78,537 | not reported |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | Agricultural Mechanization | $68,847 | $78,080 | not reported |
| [University of Nebraska-Lincoln Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-nebraska-lincoln-main-campus-2975) | Agricultural Mechanization | $61,751 | $74,003 | not reported |
| [Purdue University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/purdue-university-main-campus-2163) | Agricultural Mechanization | $63,519 | $73,393 | not reported |
| [South Dakota State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/south-dakota-state-university-2445) | Agricultural Mechanization | $64,756 | $67,746 | $19,569 |
| [Sam Houston State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/sam-houston-state-university-2333) | Agricultural Mechanization | $59,342 | $67,729 | not reported |
| [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](https://www.collegesref.com/college/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh-1884) | Agricultural Mechanization | $54,479 | $60,122 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farmworkers-and-laborers-crop-nursery-and-greenhouse): $35,660 median pay
- [Machine Feeders and Offbearers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/machine-feeders-and-offbearers): $41,220 median pay
- [Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/separating-filtering-clarifying-precipitating-and-still-machine-setters-operators-and): $51,610 median pay
- [Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/extruding-forming-pressing-and-compacting-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders): $45,760 median pay
- [Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic): $52,800 median pay
- [Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/crushing-grinding-and-polishing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders): $48,540 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.