Earth & Food
Soil Scientist (USDA/NRCS Track)
Healthy land is long-horizon work.
AI Risk Score: 4/10
Score is our body/liability/scarcity rubric, calibrated against public AI-exposure research.
Data last reviewed: 2026-07-21
What you actually do
Assess soil composition and land capability for conservation, agriculture, and federal programs.
Why AI does not easily replace it
Field sampling, regulatory context, and public accountability keep this human-led.
What it pays
$51,000 - $89,000
BLS OOH: Agricultural and Food Scientists (includes soil and plant scientists)
Salary benchmark year: 2025
How to get in
Environmental/agricultural science degree + federal pathway hiring.
Estimated time to entry: ~48 months (path-dependent).
State-by-state training and licensing links
Where demand is growing
Resilience planning and conservation programs create durable need.
Ready to explore?
Compare this career in the full directory, or run the exposure calculator against your current role.
"The moat is not a prompt. It is responsibility in the real world."
AI risk evidence
- Anthropic Economic Index (2025-26): measured AI usage and task coverage by occupation
- IMF, "New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work" (Jan 2026): ~40% of global jobs exposed to AI-driven change
- Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026 (labor chapters)
- Oxford Martin: The Future of Employment (2013), kept for historical grounding