Also called: Pesticide Inspector, Pesticide Enforcement Specialist
Investigates complaints of pesticide drift onto homes, schools and organic farms, and checks that sprayers follow the label rules.
When a farmworker gets sick or a neighbor's garden dies after crop spraying, investigators collect leaf and soil samples, interview the applicator, and check spray records and wind data. They inspect crop-dusting operations, pest-control companies, and stores selling restricted chemicals. Their cases can lead to fines or lost licenses.
State or county pay. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in agriculture, biology, or chemistry.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Agronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science.
Growing about average. Every state enforces federal pesticide law (approx.).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Drone images and spray records help; field sampling, interviews and enforcement stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 45-2011.
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.