19
Soil and Plant Scientists is a notable career in the 19 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Soil and Plant Scientists against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
Education Administrators, All Other
11
Personal Service Managers, All Other
11
Managers, All Other
11
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
13
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13
| soc | 19-1013 |
| title | Soil and Plant Scientists |
| onet code | 19-1013.00 |
| description | Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity. |
| job zone | 5 |
| major group | 19 |
| tot emp | 16,600 |
| a mean | 83,040 |
| a median | 71,410 |
| a pct10 | 45,320 |
| a pct25 | 57,950 |
| a pct75 | 98,110 |
| a pct90 | 131,440 |
| h mean | 39 |
| h median | 34 |
The day-to-day work of a soil and plant scientists typically centers on communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Reading Comprehension, Science, and Speaking. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.89 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working soil and plant scientists, the most common entry qualification is a Master's Degree (28.6%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 71% of incumbents. This is a degree-heavy profession — most incumbents hold a four-year degree or beyond.
Median annual pay is highest in District of Columbia at $100,820 and lowest in West Virginia at $42,730 — a 2.4× spread. The top five states (District of Columbia, Idaho, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey) average $90,516. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $100,820 | $104,940 | $69,570 | $149,410 | 60 |
| Idaho | $90,400 | $86,400 | $48,400 | $116,450 | 430 |
| Maine | $88,300 | $90,380 | $51,870 | $121,800 | 60 |
| Connecticut | $88,040 | $94,210 | $55,580 | $125,470 | 170 |
| New Jersey | $85,020 | $84,010 | $49,050 | $122,120 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $84,510 | $95,400 | $41,630 | $154,450 | — |
| Washington | $82,360 | $89,480 | $61,320 | $123,360 | 610 |
| California | $80,960 | $91,660 | $47,950 | $141,290 | 1,710 |
| Indiana | $79,820 | $88,640 | $50,690 | $137,550 | 520 |
| Mississippi | $79,790 | $94,740 | $53,870 | $167,690 | 60 |
| Oregon | $79,460 | $83,380 | $49,000 | $122,350 | 490 |
| Ohio | $79,220 | $80,500 | $49,290 | $113,700 | 270 |
| Florida | $77,970 | $83,430 | $44,630 | $120,390 | 290 |
| Wyoming | $77,500 | $83,850 | $53,290 | $130,570 | 60 |
| Nevada | $76,940 | $76,740 | $53,190 | $103,530 | 40 |
| Georgia | $75,250 | $76,390 | $43,670 | $110,790 | 470 |
| Maryland | $74,820 | $86,410 | $46,070 | $153,320 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $74,620 | $85,210 | $65,510 | $113,030 | 60 |
| Montana | $74,330 | $77,310 | $50,620 | $119,990 | 250 |
| Utah | $72,550 | $68,650 | $38,450 | $96,780 | 70 |
| Iowa | $72,440 | $83,730 | $48,060 | $135,150 | 770 |
| Virginia | $71,030 | $79,760 | $48,280 | $116,350 | 220 |
| Missouri | $70,450 | $76,070 | $40,280 | $122,710 | 250 |
| New York | $70,120 | $79,030 | $58,160 | $103,730 | 200 |
| Alabama | $69,200 | $78,900 | $48,460 | $125,700 | 90 |
| Colorado | $68,420 | $86,620 | $49,430 | $133,780 | 530 |
| Minnesota | $68,260 | $71,670 | $33,280 | $117,310 | 640 |
| North Carolina | $68,240 | $74,040 | $46,610 | $103,940 | 620 |
| Nebraska | $67,150 | $71,200 | $36,450 | $112,850 | 770 |
| New Mexico | $65,730 | $68,250 | $38,490 | $87,960 | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,650 | $71,610 | $44,680 | $113,110 | 260 |
| Massachusetts | $64,490 | $64,810 | $63,670 | $64,740 | — |
| Delaware | $64,300 | $71,960 | $56,160 | $103,150 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $63,770 | $67,990 | $46,750 | $92,180 | 650 |
| Kentucky | $63,700 | $70,190 | $36,730 | $113,030 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $63,420 | $67,520 | $29,540 | $125,720 | 260 |
| Kansas | $62,530 | $70,630 | $41,750 | $106,890 | 340 |
| Vermont | $62,300 | $68,810 | $55,490 | $97,300 | — |
| South Dakota | $61,970 | $66,990 | $46,870 | $85,580 | 400 |
| North Dakota | $61,790 | $73,770 | $50,690 | $116,940 | 380 |
| Michigan | $61,710 | $70,300 | $54,070 | $102,750 | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $61,380 | $62,750 | $34,030 | $98,550 | 140 |
| Illinois | $60,970 | $64,310 | $41,990 | $92,930 | — |
| Arizona | $52,830 | $66,080 | $38,050 | $113,200 | 340 |
| South Carolina | $51,550 | $66,300 | $46,180 | $103,960 | 240 |
| West Virginia | $42,730 | $62,000 | $40,570 | $105,810 | 40 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for soil and plant scientists. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Agricultural Specialist or Agriculturist frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Soil and Plant Scientists compares to others in the 19 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Soil and Plant Scientists
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
Explore More Data Tools
For adjacent public-data tools, methodology notes, and network updates, visit DataPeek Facts.