Precision Agriculture Technicians Career, Salary and Skills
Precision Agriculture Technicians have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $49,630 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 15,130. Wage data is published for 88 locations.
Occupation description
Apply geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to agricultural production or management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, or variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop or analyze maps or remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests, or weather.
O*NET code
19-4012.01
Job zone
3
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$49,630
Hourly median
$23.86
Employment
15,130
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Active Listening | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Writing | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Active Learning | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Mathematics | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Monitoring | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.25 | 3.50 |
Typical tasks
- Collect information about soil or field attributes, yield data, or field boundaries, using field data recorders and basic geographic information systems (GIS).
- Use geospatial technology to develop soil sampling grids or identify sampling sites for testing characteristics such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium content, pH, or micronutrients.
- Divide agricultural fields into georeferenced zones, based on soil characteristics and production potentials.
- Install, calibrate, or maintain sensors, mechanical controls, GPS-based vehicle guidance systems, or computer settings.
- Create, layer, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data, such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns, or field management history.
- Compare crop yield maps with maps of soil test data, chemical application patterns, or other information to develop site-specific crop management plans.
- Analyze geospatial data to determine agricultural implications of factors such as soil quality, terrain, field productivity, fertilizers, or weather conditions.
- Document and maintain records of precision agriculture information.
Technology
- Ag Leader Technology SMS Advanced
- AGCO GTA Software Suite
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- ESRI ArcPad
- ESRI ArcView
- Farm Works Site Pro
- GeoAgro GIS
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- Global positioning system GPS software
- John Deere Apex Farm Management
- MapShots EASi Suite
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
Precision Agriculture Technicians salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in CAMedian $60,320 · Employment 2,420
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in GAMedian $48,960 · Employment 1,020
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in ILMedian $46,410 · Employment 700
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in IDMedian $48,870 · Employment 650
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in WIMedian $46,470 · Employment 620
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in NEMedian $47,420 · Employment 580
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in NCMedian $51,470 · Employment 550
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in MNMedian $57,310 · Employment 530
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $63,630 · Employment 500
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in ORMedian $46,800 · Employment 480
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in WAMedian $48,220 · Employment 470
- Precision Agriculture Technicians Salary in Sacramento, CAMedian $62,680 · Employment 460
Related careers
- Food Scientists and TechnologistsNational median $88,720
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and GreenhouseNational median $35,660
- Remote Sensing TechniciansNational median $62,280
- Remote Sensing Scientists and TechnologistsNational median $122,570
- Data ScientistsNational median $120,230
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $59,920
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including HealthNational median $55,090
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $66,120
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.