Texas / Department of Agriculture

Agency file

Department of Agriculture

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Department of Agriculture supports agriculture — farming, food safety, livestock, and rural development programs.

In 2026, this agency had 652 employees with median total compensation of $69,000; the highest distinct record was $237,313.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $48.6M
Employees: 652
Median total: $69,000
Highest record: $237,313

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$24,000$160,000+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 652 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($69,000) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $74,548 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$49,800

$53,032

$69,000

$84,000

$110,155

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $110,155 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $49,800. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Inspector II

49 · $49,800

Inspector VI

32 · $64,134

Compliance Analyst II

31 · $69,300

Program Specialist III

25 · $58,800

Inspector I

24 · $43,348

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$48.3M —	662 —	$68,147 —
2026	$48.6M ▲ 0.6%	652 ▼ 1.5%	$69,000 ▲ 1.3%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Miriam Padron-Vazquez

Manager V/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$114,308

Base pay: $114,308
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $114,308
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1604
Hire Date: Jun 1, 2014
Monthly Pay: $9,526
State Employee Number: 773674

Miriam Padron-Vazquez holds the role of Manager V at Department of Agriculture. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $114,308.

Leanna Chonko

Director I/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$114,204

Base pay: $114,204
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $114,204
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1620
Hire Date: Oct 15, 2020
Monthly Pay: $9,517
State Employee Number: 1285012

Leanna Chonko holds the role of Director I at Department of Agriculture. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $114,204.

Zena Carter

Director I/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$114,204

Base pay: $114,204
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $114,204
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1620
Hire Date: Oct 1, 2019
Monthly Pay: $9,517
State Employee Number: 1216300

At Department of Agriculture, Zena Carter serves as a Director I. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $114,204.

Maricruz Torres

Director I/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$114,204

Base pay: $114,204
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $114,204
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1620
Hire Date: Dec 1, 2012
Monthly Pay: $9,517
State Employee Number: 338335

Maricruz Torres is a Director I at Department of Agriculture. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $114,204.

Estella Martinez-Perrin

Project Manager IV/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$110,155

Base pay: $110,155
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $110,155
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: F

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1561
Hire Date: Feb 15, 2018
Monthly Pay: $9,180
State Employee Number: 545

Estella Martinez-Perrin is a Project Manager IV at Department of Agriculture. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $110,155.

Leonelle Tualla

Budget Analyst V/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$109,558

Base pay: $109,558
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $109,558
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1159
Hire Date: Jun 1, 2017
Monthly Pay: $9,130
State Employee Number: 417988

At Department of Agriculture, Leonelle Tualla serves as a Budget Analyst V. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $109,558.

Sarah Carlson

Director I/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$109,286

Base pay: $109,286
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $109,286
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1620
Hire Date: Oct 1, 2007
Monthly Pay: $9,107
State Employee Number: 47012

Sarah Carlson works as a Director I for Department of Agriculture. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Sarah earned $109,286 in 2026.

Adriana Diaz

Director I/Department of Agriculture

2026 total comp

$109,286

Base pay: $109,286
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $109,286
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1620
Hire Date: Aug 21, 2017
Monthly Pay: $9,107
State Employee Number: 1081353

Adriana Diaz works as a Director I for Department of Agriculture. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Adriana earned $109,286 in 2026.