How much do crop consultants make in 2026?
Crop consultants are reported inside SOC 19-1013, soil and plant scientists, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $78,850 a year, or $37.91 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $48,680 to $138,120 across 15,730 workers. That is a broad match, and this particular role sits awkwardly inside it for a structural reason: a large share of crop consultants are self-employed or operate small consulting practices, and OEWS surveys employers about employees. Their income does not appear in this band at all. What can be said clearly is how the economics work. Independent consultants charge growers a per-acre fee for a defined scouting and advisory programme across the season, which means income scales with acres under contract and with the value of the crops involved. High-value irrigated and specialty crops support higher per-acre fees than commodity dryland production. Because the consultant takes no income from input sales, the advice carries no product incentive, which is the entire commercial argument for the model. Certified Crop Adviser certification is effectively the entry credential. BLS projects 5.4% growth through 2034 with roughly 1,700 openings a year. → Full crop consultant career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $78,850 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Crop Consultants earn a national median $78,850/yr ($37.91/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 19-1013); the P10 to P90 range is $48,680 to $138,120.
- Many crop consultants are self-employed and therefore outside this employee wage survey entirely, so the band describes employed advisory staff rather than the consulting market.
- Independent consultants charge per-acre fees across a season, so income scales with contracted acres and with crop value rather than with hours worked.
- Taking no income from input sales is the model's commercial argument, and it is why growers in high-value systems pay for advice they could otherwise get free from a retailer.
US Crop Consultant Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do crop consultants earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 19-1013; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 19-1013, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a crop consultant earn at each career stage?
Crop consulting income follows contracted acres and crop value. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 19-1013, which covers employed advisory staff.
By State
Which states pay crop consultants the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 19-1013 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Consulting income depends on the cropping system and the fee structure a region supports, and several states additionally licence pest control advisers, so check local requirements rather than reading these figures as consulting benchmarks.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($90,680), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay crop consultants the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Crop consulting happens in agricultural regions, and the relevant geography is cropping system and irrigation rather than metropolitan cost of living.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a crop consultant’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does crop consultant pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Crop Consultants sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify crop consultant wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a crop consultant actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Crop Consultant Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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