Agricultural Production Operations: 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 24 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Agricultural Production Operations pays
Career outlook for Agricultural Production Operations graduates
The job market for the occupations Agricultural Production Operations 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 836,100 | -1.3% | $87,980 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals | 224,600 | -5.0% | $36,150 | No formal educational credential |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | 65,400 | +2.5% | $59,330 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Conservation scientists | 28,500 | +3.4% | $67,950 | Bachelor's degree |
| Soil and plant scientists | 20,700 | +5.4% | $71,410 | Bachelor's degree |
| Farm and home management educators | 12,400 | -2.5% | $58,120 | 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 Production Operations vs similar majors
How Agricultural Production Operations 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 Production Operations Agriculture & Related Sciences · this major | Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Agricultural and Food Products Processing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 26 F | 80 A | 76 B | 75 B |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $45,838 | $120,579 | $84,630 | $71,906 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $36,269 | $100,829 | $55,544 | $76,052 |
| ROI vs cost | -89% | +460% | +343% | +234% |
| Typical debt | $16,093 | $172,552 | $47,703 | $23,250 |
| Colleges offering it | 24 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
Agricultural Production Operations 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 Production Operations
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 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND | Associate's | $72,312 | $21,500 | +602% | Strong return |
| 2 | Washington State University Pullman, WA | Associate's | $61,477 | $17,395 | +354% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Associate's | $58,685 | $10,999 | +309% | Strong return |
| 4 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS | Associate's | $58,091 | — | +272% | Strong return |
| 5 | Mitchell Technical College Mitchell, SD | Certificate | $49,456 | $12,000 | +150% | Strong return |
| 6 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY | Associate's | $49,633 | $20,387 | +57% | Break-even |
| 7 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | Associate's | $51,426 | $19,500 | +43% | Break-even |
| 8 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | Certificate | $48,879 | $11,000 | +34% | Break-even |
| 9 | Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA | Certificate | $46,670 | $9,530 | +27% | Break-even |
| 10 | Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ | Associate's | $49,224 | — | +3% | Break-even |
| 11 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH | Associate's | $48,668 | $24,737 | -35% | Poor return |
| 12 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | Associate's | $40,546 | $22,625 | -184% | Poor return |
| 13 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE | Certificate | $41,932 | $11,314 | -240% | Poor return |
| 14 | Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Curtis, NE | Certificate | $41,932 | $11,314 | -264% | Poor return |
| 15 | Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute Wooster, OH | Certificate | $41,301 | $12,000 | -267% | Poor return |
| 16 | University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN | Associate's | $40,898 | — | -268% | Poor return |
| 17 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Certificate | $41,301 | $12,000 | -270% | Poor return |
| 18 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | Associate's | $33,420 | $19,979 | -323% | Poor return |
| 19 | SUNY Morrisville Morrisville, NY | Associate's | $35,670 | $27,000 | -324% | Poor return |
| 20 | Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA | Certificate | $41,422 | — | -471% | Poor return |
| 21 | Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA | Certificate | $37,192 | — | -909% | Poor return |
| 22 | Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY | Certificate | $35,595 | $10,300 | -985% | Poor return |
| 23 | Southern Maine Community College South Portland, ME | Certificate | $32,486 | — | -1,229% | Poor return |
| 24 | Moorpark College Moorpark, CA | Certificate | $41,903 | — | — | Not enough data |
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.