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Agricultural Economics

Types of Degrees Agricultural Economics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Agricultural Economics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	578
Associate’s Degree	1,807
Bachelor’s Degree	4,916
Master’s Degree	1,280
Doctor’s Degree	31

What Agricultural Economics Majors Need to Know

Studies in Agricultural Economics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Agricultural Economics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Agricultural Economics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Agricultural Economics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Agricultural Economics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Agricultural Economics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Agricultural Economics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Agricultural Economics graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Instructor
• Professor
• Associate Professor
• College Professor
• Faculty Member
• Agricultural Economics Professor
• Horticulture Manager
• Teacher
• Telephone Information Supervisor
• Stock Supervisor
• Delivery Department Supervisor
• Complaint Evaluation Supervisor
• Customer Service Supervisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Agricultural Economics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	26.7%
Doctoral degree	21.2%
Master’s degree	14.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	14.1%
Some college courses	7.7%
Post-doctoral training	5.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.5%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Agricultural Economics?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 42.7% women and 57.3% men among Agricultural Economics graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,680	42.7%
Men	4,932	57.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Agricultural Economics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,458	75.0%
Asian	154	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,094	12.7%
Black or African American	237	2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	48	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	6	0.1%
Two or More Races	183	2.1%
Race Unknown	201	2.3%
International Students	231	2.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Agricultural Economics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Agricultural Economics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,730
4 years	$57,738
5 years	$66,345

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,345 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Agricultural Economics Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Agricultural Economics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	20	30
Bachelor’s	12	16
Master’s	9	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Agricultural Economics Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Agricultural Economics graduates earn a median of $57,738 four years after completion — roughly 52% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agriculture Ag Operations	01
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Agricultural Mechanization	01.02
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Public Services	01.08
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other	01.99
Agriculture, General	01.00
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	01.13
Animal Sciences	01.09
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	01.06
Food Science and Technology	01.10

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.