Agricultural Commodity Grading

What the Numbers Say About Agricultural Commodity Grading

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 1,665 people work in the Agricultural Commodity Grading occupation (OPM code 1980) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -2.1% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Agricultural Commodity Grading pays $69,114 per year on average, 37.1% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 3.1% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 10.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 19, the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, is where the federal government classifies Agricultural Commodity Grading alongside 2 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Agricultural Commodity Grading postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Agricultural Commodity Grading makes up 13.7% of the 12,141 employees across the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, ranking #2 of 3 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group occupations.