Agricultural research technician vs research technician

The differences between agricultural research technicians and research technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an agricultural research technician, becoming a research technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an agricultural research technician has an average salary of $50,476, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for an agricultural research technician include greenhouse, harvest and research services. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Agricultural research technician vs research technician overview

	Agricultural Research Technician	Research Technician
Yearly salary	$50,476	$43,034
Hourly rate	$24.27	$20.69
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	51,522	64,786
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	43	40
Years of experience	2	4

Agricultural research technician vs research technician salary

Agricultural research technicians and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Agricultural Research Technician	Research Technician
Average salary	$50,476	$43,034
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $78,000	Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	Pasadena, CA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	GCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between agricultural research technician and research technician education

There are a few differences between an agricultural research technician and a research technician in terms of educational background:

	Agricultural Research Technician	Research Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Plant Sciences	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Agricultural research technician vs research technician demographics

Here are the differences between agricultural research technicians' and research technicians' demographics:

	Agricultural Research Technician	Research Technician
Average age	43	40
Gender ratio	Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8%	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.2% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between agricultural research technician and research technician duties and responsibilities

Agricultural research technician example responsibilities.

Manage growth and cycle planting of grape rootstocks in USDA greenhouses.
Train extensively in institutional, CDC, and USDA mandate safety and security protocols.
Measure plant characteristics, harvest dates, and harvest and thresh these small-seed wild by domestic hybrid F1 seed by hand.
Carry out highly complex pharmaceutical and biotechnology studies while maintaining strong relationships with clients and upholding federal regulations for FDA approval.
Analyze statistical relationships between weather and traffic parameters using SAS and evaluate the quantitative impacts of the weather on traffic congestion.

Research technician example responsibilities.

Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.
Perform DNA extraction and analysis for the purpose of identifying bacterial strand for waste stream characterization.
Extend course knowledge of CRISPR to experiment.

Agricultural research technician vs research technician skills

Common agricultural research technician skills

Greenhouse, 26%
Harvest, 21%
Research Services, 13%
USDA, 10%
Research Projects, 7%
Experimental Data, 5%

Common research technician skills

Patients, 9%
Data Collection, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Research Projects, 4%
Lab Equipment, 3%

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Agricultural Research Technician
Agricultural Research Technician vs Research Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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