Skip to content
Boston Career Explorer

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

Agricultural Inspectors

Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.

Also called: Agricultural Commodities Grader (ACG), Agricultural Products Agent, Apiary Inspector, Brand Inspector, CSI (Consumer Safety Inspector), Food Inspector

Median pay in Greater Boston
$47,770
$22.97/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
50
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+8.8%
10 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,890$46,080$47,770$78,440$95,410

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
  • Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
  • Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
  • Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.
  • Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
  • Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure49 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 51
  • Language-model AIOE 48
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 48

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Agricultural Inspectors have moderate AI exposure, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with looking up regulations and drafting inspection reports. They do not walk through farms, processing plants, or fishing and logging sites. They also cannot judge conditions on site or explain required standards to workers and growers.

Likely to change

  • Drafting inspection reports and recommendations
  • Looking up and summarizing regulations

Still relies on people

  • Inspecting sites and operations in person
  • Explaining standards and corrections to growers

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

    Inspecting sites for safety and checking that specifications are met builds on your inspection skills. Boston median pay is $99,890, and the typical entry credential is a high school diploma.

    Pay difference
    +$52,120 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +7.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

    Certifying that work meets standards and reading technical manuals builds on your regulation skills. Boston median pay is $93,280, and the job needs a postsecondary nondegree award.

    Pay difference
    +$45,510 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.5%
    To get started
    Postsecondary nondegree award

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    Inspecting and testing equipment for problems carries over from your inspection work. It has much lower AI exposure and Boston median pay of $59,670.

    Pay difference
    +$11,900 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

Talk to a career coach