Agricultural Business and Management: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 97 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Agricultural Business and Management pays
Career outlook for Agricultural Business and Management graduates
The job market for the occupations Agricultural Business and Management graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers | 1,558,400 | -0.3% | $66,140 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products | 1,310,500 | +0.3% | $66,780 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 836,100 | -1.3% | $87,980 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Computer user support specialists | 729,500 | -3.7% | $60,340 | Some college, no degree |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | 65,400 | +2.5% | $59,330 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Economists | 17,600 | +1.2% | $115,440 | Master's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Agricultural Business and Management vs similar majors
How Agricultural Business and Management stacks up against the closest fields in Agriculture & Related Sciences on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Agricultural Business and Management Agriculture & Related Sciences · this major | Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Agricultural and Food Products Processing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 53 C | 80 A | 76 B | 75 B |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $61,638 | $120,579 | $84,630 | $71,906 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $47,960 | $100,829 | $55,544 | $76,052 |
| ROI vs cost | +113% | +460% | +343% | +234% |
| Typical debt | $17,134 | $172,552 | $47,703 | $23,250 |
| Colleges offering it | 97 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
Agricultural Business and Management earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Agricultural Business and Management
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Land College Mattoon, IL | Certificate | $56,312 | — | +4,919% | Strong return |
| 2 | North Iowa Area Community College Mason City, IA | Certificate | $62,200 | — | +1,618% | Strong return |
| 3 | Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID | Associate's | $68,191 | — | +1,311% | Strong return |
| 4 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Associate's | $130,690 | $12,500 | +1,284% | Strong return |
| 5 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | Associate's | $69,880 | $13,279 | +1,221% | Strong return |
| 6 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Associate's | $93,186 | $16,000 | +1,131% | Strong return |
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Associate's | $88,101 | $18,721 | +1,113% | Strong return |
| 8 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Certificate | $110,371 | — | +992% | Strong return |
| 9 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI | Certificate | $58,238 | — | +927% | Strong return |
| 10 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Associate's | $82,616 | $15,000 | +922% | Strong return |
| 11 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $63,554 | $15,000 | +900% | Strong return |
| 12 | Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND | Certificate | $59,268 | $12,000 | +874% | Strong return |
| 13 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Associate's | $81,821 | $20,290 | +799% | Strong return |
| 14 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | Certificate | $62,457 | — | +787% | Strong return |
| 15 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Associate's | $71,796 | $15,000 | +704% | Strong return |
| 16 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Associate's | $79,142 | $15,750 | +678% | Strong return |
| 17 | Ridgewater College Willmar, MN | Certificate | $55,791 | $10,779 | +672% | Strong return |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Associate's | $74,752 | $12,500 | +658% | Strong return |
| 19 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | Associate's | $71,087 | $15,753 | +647% | Strong return |
| 20 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA | Certificate | $55,664 | $8,684 | +644% | Strong return |
| 21 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ | Associate's | $74,566 | $23,125 | +608% | Strong return |
| 22 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | Associate's | $65,673 | $17,500 | +602% | Strong return |
| 23 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA | Associate's | $67,962 | $11,250 | +595% | Strong return |
| 24 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND | Associate's | $70,611 | $17,875 | +581% | Strong return |
| 25 | Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA | Associate's | $77,337 | $26,000 | +566% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.