How to become an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter

Official title: Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

Also called: Agriculture Laborer, Apple Sorter, Corn Lab Technician, Distribution Technician, Egg Grader, Egg Worker, Grader, Potato Grader, Potato Sorter, Sorter

Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.

Main tasks

• Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
• Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
• Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
• Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.

How to become one

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Ways in

• Licence: A licence is required in 23 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $35,730 a year The middle half earn $34,320 to $38,260.
• About 45,400 people work in this job now, and about 43,800 are projected by 2035. (-3.4%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Agricultural Inspectors
• Animal Breeders
• Agricultural Equipment Operators
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

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Questions people ask

How much does an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $35,730 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $34,320 to $38,260.

Is an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 3% by 2035, from about 45,400 to about 43,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.