Which state pays agricultural business bachelor's graduates the most?

Texas, where the median program pays its graduates $49,208 in their first year, the highest of 3 state rankings. Missouri is next, at $44,002.

Which agricultural business bachelor's program pays the most?

Cornell University in New York reports the highest first-year pay of the 73 programs ranked here, $92,163. Its median federal debt is $13,258.

How much debt do agricultural business bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $20,000 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 40% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Agricultural Business (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

73 programs report first-year pay
3 state rankings
Bachelor's in Agricultural Business and Management

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median agricultural business bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $48,800 in their first year and $62,519 five years after. Texas has the highest state median ($49,208), and Arkansas the lowest ($42,565). The median program leaves its graduates with $20,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$48,800Across 73 programs

Median pay after 5 years$62,519Across 65 programs

Median federal debt$20,000Across 64 programs

Debt-to-earnings40%Across 62 programs

All 73 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	$92,163	$85,399	$130,690	$13,258	14%
2	University of Nebraska at KearneyKearney, NE · public	$61,152	$67,869	$62,723	Not reported	Not reported
3	North Dakota StateFargo, ND · public	$59,953	$67,394	$70,611	$19,500	33%
4	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$58,335	$64,234	$68,698	$17,499	30%
5	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$57,023	$59,265	$74,454	$24,125	42%
6	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$55,934	$55,958	$88,101	$20,000	36%
7	University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · public	$54,783	$63,015	$67,154	$18,909	35%
8	UW-PlattevillePlatteville, WI · public	$54,473	$57,891	Not reported	$15,276	28%
9	Iowa StateAmes, IA · public	$53,967	$61,492	$68,687	$16,972	31%
10	UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public	$53,911	$57,294	$51,617	$21,445	40%
11	Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	$53,751	$59,678	$61,026	$19,641	37%
12	University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE · public	$53,229	$59,076	$60,418	$19,500	37%
13	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$53,160	$53,903	$81,821	$21,500	40%
14	University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	$53,081	$50,573	$82,616	$20,000	38%
15	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$52,804	$56,578	$71,087	$17,500	33%
16	Cal Poly SLOSan Luis Obispo, CA · public	$52,778	$47,668	$93,186	$14,500	27%
17	West Texas A&M UniversityCanyon, TX · public	$52,749	$54,348	$54,781	$19,125	36%
18	Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	$52,031	$50,339	$71,577	$17,666	34%
19	Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	$51,292	$49,773	$62,394	$21,250	41%
20	South Dakota StateBrookings, SD · public	$51,222	$57,822	$62,893	$22,557	44%
21	Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · public	$50,936	$57,346	$62,519	$21,875	43%
22	Montana StateBozeman, MT · public	$50,876	$53,755	$53,351	$20,000	39%
23	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$50,565	$54,503	$68,055	$20,000	40%
24	Texas A&MCollege Station, TX · public	$50,509	$52,041	$72,348	$20,125	40%
24	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$50,509	$52,041	$79,142	$19,588	39%
26	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$50,136	$51,384	$77,337	$26,000	52%
27	Fresno StateFresno, CA · public	$50,100	$45,249	$69,880	$13,139	26%
28	Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	$50,013	$54,439	$52,778	Not reported	Not reported
29	BYU-IdahoRexburg, ID · private nonprofit	$49,942	Not adjusted	$68,191	Not reported	Not reported
30	University of DelawareNewark, DE · public	$49,885	Not adjusted	Not reported	$21,000	42%
31	UW-MadisonMadison, WI · public	$49,868	$52,998	$74,752	$14,000	28%
32	Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	$49,714	$53,029	$72,980	$23,250	47%
33	University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	$49,611	$51,521	$71,796	$20,682	42%
34	Southwest Minnesota StateMarshall, MN · public	$49,521	Not adjusted	$55,400	Not reported	Not reported
35	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$49,371	$47,741	$63,554	$16,218	33%
36	Dordt UniversitySioux Center, IA · private nonprofit	$49,230	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,000	39%
37	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$48,800	$48,472	$74,566	$24,200	50%
38	Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA · public	$48,557	$48,027	$73,750	$22,999	47%
39	University of IdahoMoscow, ID · public	$48,338	$50,619	$60,613	$17,956	37%
40	Northwest Missouri StateMaryville, MO · public	$48,302	$53,186	$61,777	$19,250	40%
41	Chico StateChico, CA · public	$47,937	$43,296	$67,962	$11,250	23%
42	Sam Houston StateHuntsville, TX · public	$47,907	$49,360	$69,969	$20,643	43%
43	Delaware Valley UniversityDoylestown, PA · private nonprofit	$47,802	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
44	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural CollegeTifton, GA · public	$47,519	$49,348	Not reported	$21,500	45%
45	Fort Hays StateHays, KS · public	$47,012	$52,196	$49,628	$19,250	41%
46	NC StateRaleigh, NC · public	$46,849	$49,667	$65,304	$19,500	42%
47	University of Minnesota-CrookstonCrookston, MN · public	$46,845	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
48	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$45,821	Not adjusted	$61,250	$20,500	45%
49	Utah StateLogan, UT · public	$45,583	$46,107	$66,583	$11,500	25%
50	UConnStorrs, CT · public	$45,435	$43,852	$62,175	$23,000	51%
51	Tarleton StateStephenville, TX · public	$45,097	$46,464	$55,624	$21,500	48%
52	Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	$45,095	$51,336	$54,787	$19,162	42%
53	Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellville, AR · public	$44,810	$51,543	$50,241	$15,620	35%
54	Southeast Missouri StateCape Girardeau, MO · public	$44,418	$48,909	$64,541	$14,000	32%
55	Alcorn StateAlcorn State, MS · public	$44,330	Not adjusted	$57,006	$25,125	57%
56	UL MonroeMonroe, LA · public	$43,834	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
57	Arkansas StateJonesboro, AR · public	$43,804	$50,386	$59,051	$22,239	51%
58	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$43,585	$47,992	$52,218	$18,614	43%
59	Wilmington CollegeWilmington, OH · private nonprofit	$41,957	$45,225	$54,845	$24,525	58%
60	College of the OzarksPoint Lookout, MO · private nonprofit	$41,729	Not adjusted	$49,556	Not reported	Not reported
61	University of KentuckyLexington, KY · public	$41,508	$46,039	$61,999	$23,250	56%
62	Southern Arkansas UniversityMagnolia, AR · public	$41,325	$47,534	Not reported	$13,875	34%
63	New Mexico StateLas Cruces, NM · public	$41,268	Not adjusted	$42,214	Not reported	Not reported
64	Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleCarbondale, IL · public	$40,194	$40,211	$61,223	$15,000	37%
65	University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO · public	$38,998	$42,941	$53,716	$23,542	60%
66	Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	$38,272	$34,566	$65,673	$20,500	54%
67	WVUMorgantown, WV · public	$37,779	Not adjusted	$61,123	$24,070	64%
68	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$37,574	$38,713	$57,287	$20,500	55%
69	University of Arkansas at MonticelloMonticello, AR · public	$36,543	$42,034	$49,716	Not reported	Not reported
70	UT MartinMartin, TN · public	$36,242	$39,449	Not reported	$19,928	55%
71	University of WyomingLaramie, WY · public	$35,431	Not adjusted	$56,619	$15,056	42%
72	University of Arkansas at Pine BluffPine Bluff, AR · public	$31,868	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,380	64%
73	SUNY MorrisvilleMorrisville, NY · public	$31,268	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 58 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 15, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

11 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

Agricultural Business (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's agricultural business bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Texas	6	$49,208	$20,313
2	Missouri	6	$44,002	$18,614
3	Arkansas	6	$42,565	$18,909

Programs in 37 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 16 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to agricultural business, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$69,500

Median pay in the US. 1,436,680 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $45,610Top 10%: $104,710

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

$72,080

Median pay in the US. 1,238,190 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $39,090Top 10%: $137,550

Computer User Support Specialists

$61,860

Median pay in the US. 717,190 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 39,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: some college, no degree.

Bottom 10%: $40,980Top 10%: $100,540

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

$77,710

Median pay in the US. 491,430 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 47,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,380Top 10%: $128,870

Common questions

The median agricultural business bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $48,800 in their first year and $62,519 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024