Farming, fishing and forestry
Graders and sorters, agricultural products
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Median pay
$35,730
Growth to 2035
−3%
declining
Openings a year
5,800
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Graders and sorters, agricultural products
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to graders and sorters, agricultural products
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Graders and sorters, agricultural products: 43% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core 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.
Also called: Agriculture Laborer · Apple Sorter · Corn Lab Technician · Distribution Technician · Egg Grader · Egg Worker · Grader · Potato Grader
Outlook and AI
Graders and sorters, agricultural products held 45,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 43,800 by 2035 (−3%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as enhanced technology will automatically sort and grade a growing number of agricultural products.
Compare with
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