Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

What Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products Do

Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Production and Processingimportance 3.6/5
• English Languageimportance 3.0/5
• Mechanicalimportance 3.0/5
• Food Productionimportance 2.8/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 2.7/5
• Foreign Languageimportance 2.4/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.3/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 2.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Spend Time Standing4.7/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.4/5
• Physical Proximity4.4/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5

Related Careers

• Packers and Packagers, Hand
• Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
• Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
• Food Batchmakers
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
• Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys93% skill match
• Correctional Officers and Jailers92% skill match
• Psychiatric Aides91% skill match
• Food Preparation Workers91% skill match
• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants91% skill match
• Animal Control Workers91% skill match
• Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service91% skill match
• Log Graders and Scalers91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Coordinationimportance 2.5/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.3/5
• Time Managementimportance 2.3/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.1/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 1.9/5
• Service Orientationimportance 1.9/5
• Quality Control Analysisimportance 1.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Stress Tolerance
• Perseverance
• Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalHigh
• InvestigativeLow
• EnterprisingLow
• ArtisticLow
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where graders and sorters, agricultural products make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Yakima, WA79.59× national avg
2. 2Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA55.45× national avg
3. 3Gainesville, GA21.94× national avg
4. 4Visalia, CA19.45× national avg
5. 5Kennewick-Richland, WA18.41× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Log Graders and ScalersLateral Move
• Driver/Sales WorkersCareer Change
• Cargo and Freight AgentsCareer Change
• Flight AttendantsCareer Change

See the full career path from Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products →