Agricultural Technicians vs Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health: $50K vs $55K Median Pay

Agricultural Technicians vs Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health: what changes?

Consider Agricultural Technicians if you want to work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Consider Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health if you would rather perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other…. Both list associate's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Agricultural Technicians and Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Agricultural Technicians

National median pay (2025): $49,630
Route into the job: Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (19,500 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Agricultural Technicians brief

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

National median pay (2025): $55,090
Route into the job: Associate's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Collect samples of gases, soils, water, industrial wastewater, or asbestos products to conduct tests on pollutant levels or identify sources of pollution.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,300

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health brief

How the national numbers differ

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on annual openings

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health is at 5,300 annual openings, compared with 2,800 annual openings for Agricultural Technicians.

Typical preparation differs.

Agricultural Technicians: Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health: Associate's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on projected growth

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health is at 6.9% projected growth, compared with 5.4% projected growth for Agricultural Technicians.

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on median pay

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health is at $55,090, compared with $49,630 for Agricultural Technicians.

46.9/ 100

Agricultural Technicians

53/ 100

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Agricultural Technicians vs Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

Dimension	Agricultural Technicians	Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
Median pay (2025)	$49,630	$55,090
Pay percentile	31.4 percentile	39.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.4%	6.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,800	5,300
2025 employment	19,500	36,400
How you qualify	Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Associate's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Agricultural Technicians brief Read Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health brief

Agricultural Technicians vs Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Agricultural Technicians

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

How the national numbers differ

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on projected growth

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health has the edge on median pay

Agricultural Technicians vs Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

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