Extension agent vs cooperative extension agent

The differences between extension agents and cooperative extension agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cooperative extension agent has an average salary of $49,098, which is higher than the $45,428 average annual salary of an extension agent.

The top three skills for an extension agent include educational programs, consumer sciences and natural resources. The most important skills for a cooperative extension agent are pest management, community agencies, and wide educational programs.

Extension agent vs cooperative extension agent overview

	Extension Agent	Cooperative Extension Agent
Yearly salary	$45,428	$49,098
Hourly rate	$21.84	$23.60
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	35,928	36,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Extension agent vs cooperative extension agent salary

Extension agents and cooperative extension agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Extension Agent	Cooperative Extension Agent
Average salary	$45,428	$49,098
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $83,000	Between $24,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Knoxville, TN	Salinas, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	University of Hawaii Foundation	UC Merced
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between extension agent and cooperative extension agent education

There are a few differences between an extension agent and a cooperative extension agent in terms of educational background:

	Extension Agent	Cooperative Extension Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Extension agent vs cooperative extension agent demographics

Here are the differences between extension agents' and cooperative extension agents' demographics:

	Extension Agent	Cooperative Extension Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between extension agent and cooperative extension agent duties and responsibilities

Extension agent example responsibilities.

Review soil tests results from MSU labs and make fertilizer recommendations for lawn care base on the test results.
Develop, implement and evaluate educational programs relating to commercial and consumer horticulture IPM including field demonstration trials.
Establish home horticulture IPM program.
Design and implement community trash disposal, recycling and composting project.

Cooperative extension agent example responsibilities.

Develop, implement and evaluate educational programs relating to commercial and consumer horticulture IPM including field demonstration trials.
Design and implement community trash disposal, recycling and composting project.

Extension agent vs cooperative extension agent skills

Common extension agent skills

Educational Programs, 33%
Consumer Sciences, 10%
Natural Resources, 5%
Community Development, 5%
Food Safety, 4%
Youth Program, 4%

Common cooperative extension agent skills

Pest Management, 38%
Community Agencies, 34%
Wide Educational Programs, 17%
IPM, 12%

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Extension Agent
Extension Agent vs Cooperative Extension Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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