Occupation Profile

Industries Employing

Soil and Plant Scientists

(SOC Code : 19-1013)

in Contra Costa County

Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

Contra Costa County is part of the Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley MD, which includes Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley MD	2023	1st Qtr	$52.15	$39.18	$47.35	$65.64

Data for Contra Costa County are not available. Data for Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley MD has been substituted.

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Total Job Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley MD	2018 - 2028	180	200	20	11.1	230

Data for Contra Costa County are not available. Data for Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley MD has been substituted.

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in Contra Costa County

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in Contra Costa County

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Management, Scientific, and Tech

944

33.4%

Scientific Research and Developm

326

22.1%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting

144

13.6%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Agriculture, General

Horticultural Science

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Develop environmentally safe methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests.

Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the effects of alternative practices on the environment.

Study ways to improve agricultural sustainability, such as the use of new methods of composting.

Research technical requirements or environmental impacts of urban green spaces, such as green roof installations.

Conduct research into the use of plant species as green fuels or in the production of green fuels.

Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resistance, nutritional value, or adaptation to specific soils or climates.

Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops.

Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects.

Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties.

Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growth, or avoid or correct problems such as erosion.

More Tasks for Soil and Plant Scientists

Top Skills used in this Job

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

More Skills for Soil and Plant Scientists

Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

More Interests for Soil and Plant Scientists

Alternate Titles

Agroecologists; Agronomists; Agronomy Research Managers; Crop Nutrition Scientists; Pedologists; Physical Hydrologists; Plant Breeders; Plant Ecologists; Plant Scientists; Research Soil Scientists; Soil Chemists; Soil Fertility Extension Specialists; Soil Microbiologists; Soil Scientists