Best Agricultural Production Schools (2026): 12 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Agricultural Production, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Agricultural Production graduate earns $33,954/yr across 12 schools.
BLS projects 1.9% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 133 annual job openings per related program area.
All Agricultural Production Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar, IA · Agricultural Production |
62
59–63 |
$38,924/yr | 58.0x |
| 2 |
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA · Agricultural Production |
58
55–60 |
$42,392/yr | 38.0x |
| 3 |
Mitchell Technical College
Mitchell, SD · Agricultural Production |
55
51–57 |
$40,871/yr | 31.9x |
| 4 |
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Agricultural Production |
50
47–52 |
$35,978/yr | 21.5x |
| 5 |
Niagara County Community College
Sanborn, NY · Agricultural Production |
49
46–51 |
$33,131/yr | 25.5x |
| 6 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Agricultural Production |
49
45–51 |
$35,198/yr | 18.8x |
| 7 |
Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute
Wooster, OH · Agricultural Production |
49
44–51 |
$33,940/yr | 21.2x |
| 8 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Agricultural Production |
48
43–50 |
$36,083/yr | 14.8x |
| 9 |
Northcentral Technical College
Wausau, WI · Agricultural Production |
49
46–50 |
$28,132/yr | 35.4x |
| 10 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Agricultural Production |
47
42–49 |
$33,940/yr | 15.1x |
| 11 |
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
Curtis, NE · Agricultural Production |
45
38–47 |
$24,427/yr | 35.4x |
| 12 |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE · Agricultural Production |
41
35–43 |
$24,427/yr | 19.7x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 2 | $33,940/yr | 40 |
| Nebraska | 2 | $24,427/yr | 36 |
| Iowa | 2 | $40,658/yr | 52 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $28,132/yr | 41 |
| Virginia | 1 | $36,083/yr | 41 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $40,871/yr | 48 |
| New York | 1 | $33,131/yr | 42 |
| North Carolina | 1 | $35,198/yr | 41 |
| Michigan | 1 | $35,978/yr | 43 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Agricultural Production Schools ranks 12 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.