Also called: USDA Cotton Classer, Fiber Quality Classer
Grades bales of cotton by feel, look, and machine testing to set the price farmers receive.
At a USDA classing office, a classer pulls samples from cotton bales and checks color and trash content under special lighting, alongside high-volume instruments that measure fiber length and strength. During harvest, offices grade thousands of samples a day.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. USDA trains classers; licensing exams follow training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). A small, shrinking group concentrated in cotton states.
High risk for 10 years. USDA already grades most cotton by machine; cameras take the remaining hand checks, so few new classer jobs.
Classes: Agriculture science, Math.
Official data: O*NET occupation 45-2041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.