Agricultural equipment operators
SOC Code: 45-2091
Agricultural equipment operators carries a 16% AI exposure score (Low automation risk), with a median annual wage of $42,580 and +7.7% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 65,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 16% AI exposure, Agricultural equipment operators sits 21 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 3% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
67/100
Agricultural equipment operators, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $42,580
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A +7.7%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A+ 16% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Agricultural equipment operators in the Low band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Agricultural equipment operators keeps an No credential bar (109 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Agricultural equipment operators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Agricultural equipment operators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
16% Among the lowest lower than 97% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Agricultural equipment operators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Agricultural equipment operators is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Agricultural equipment operators's Low automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 45-2091) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Agricultural equipment operators be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Agricultural equipment operators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
- 2. Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
- 3. Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
- 4. Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
- 5. Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
- 6. Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
- 7. Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
- 8. Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
- 9. Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
- 10. Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
Key Skills Required
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Active Listening
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Quality Control Analysis
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
Knowledge Areas
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Transportation
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Law and Government
- Design
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Agricultural equipment operators?
Agricultural equipment operators has an AI exposure score of 16%, indicating a low level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Agricultural equipment operators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Agricultural equipment operators is projected to grow by 7.7% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 65,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Agricultural equipment operators?
Key skills for Agricultural equipment operators include Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.
How much do Agricultural equipment operators earn?
The median annual wage for Agricultural equipment operators is $42,580, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Agricultural equipment operators?
The typical entry-level education for Agricultural equipment operators is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Agricultural equipment operators?
Agricultural equipment operators roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Low automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Agricultural equipment operators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (16% here).
- Structural metal fabricators and fitters · AI exposure 16%
- Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers · AI exposure 16%
- Cement masons and concrete finishers · AI exposure 15%
- Construction laborers · AI exposure 15%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+7.7% here).
- Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling · growth +7.7%
- Healthcare social workers · growth +7.7%
- Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners · growth +7.6%
- Web developers · growth +7.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 43 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Agricultural equipment operators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Agricultural equipment operators side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).