Also called: Vineyard Technician, Viticulture Research Technician, Vineyard Field Technician
Collects the data a vineyard runs on: sampling grapes, scouting for pests, checking soil moisture and recording it all for the vineyard manager.
You walk 20 vineyard blocks with a refractometer, crushing grape samples to read their sugar. You count clusters for the crop estimate, set insect traps, download weather station data and send a report to the vineyard manager.
Anchored on BLS agricultural technicians, May 2025 ($49,630 median; 10th about $36k, 90th about $76k).
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate or bachelor's in viticulture, plant science or agriculture; some start as vineyard workers.
Ways in: 2-year college, 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Viticulture & Enology, Plant Science, Horticulture (2-year).
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). BLS projects +5% for agricultural technicians, 2025-35; vineyard jobs cluster in California, Oregon, Washington and New York.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Drones, sensors and AI image tools collect more field data; walking rows, sampling and judging what you see stay human.
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture CTE (FFA).
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4012.
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.