Is this a competitive Graders and Sorters salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$30K
P25$34K
P50$36K
P75$38K
P90$44K
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $35,734 to $38,251 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Graders and Sorters pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 0.9% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
the broader market is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.5 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: national wages rose 3.2% over the year while CPI reached 3.5%, the first negative real-wage reading since 2022. Benefit costs accelerated to 3.8%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products is $35,734 per year ($17.18/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $34,320 and $38,251 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $44,491 per year. There are approximately 25,180 graders and sorters, agricultural products employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-5.4%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
39K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
9K
$35,720
Support Activities for Crop Production
NAICS 115100
9K
$35,010
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
NAICS 4240A1
2K
$35,810
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311400
1K
$35,670
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424500
850
$39,170
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,010 to $39,170 (12% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.22
$29,578
P25
$16.50
$34,320
P50MEDIAN
$17.18
$35,734
P75
$18.39
$38,251
P90
$21.39
$44,491
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market stayed steady in June: job openings were little changed at 7.4M (rate 4.4%), hires held at 5.3M, and total separations changed little at 5.4M. Quits were 3.2M (rate 2.0%). Openings rose in transportation, warehousing & utilities (+97K) and fell in wholesale trade (-74K).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average graders and sorters, agricultural products salary?
The national median salary for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products is $35,734 per year ($17.18/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $34,320 and $38,251 annually.
How much do top-earning graders and sorters, agricultural products make?
The 90th percentile salary for Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products is $44,491 per year ($21.39/hr). The 75th percentile is $38,251 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for graders and sorters, agricultural products?
Entry-level Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,578 per year ($14.22/hr). The 25th percentile is $34,320 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
