How much does a farm worker make?
a year · about $17 an hour
A typical farm worker in the United States makes $35,660 a year, about $17 an hour, below a typical US worker ($50,980) (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
A farmworker may check a field or greenhouse, then plant, water, weed, prune, or harvest crops outdoors. Later, they may sort and pack produce, load it for shipping, clean tools, or repair irrigation gear and fences.
Did you know? Some U.S. farmworkers can spot pests or disease by feeling a plant’s leaves and noticing their color.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $32,900 and $45,690How do you become one?
Most U.S. crop farmworkers need no diploma and learn on the job. A driver’s or pesticide license may be needed; federal rules allow 14- and 15-year-olds to do nonhazardous farm work outside school.
School needed: High school plus some training
Good for people who like building and doing and keeping things organized
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., pay can differ with experience, useful skills, and licenses for pesticide or equipment work. The farm or employer, location, and hours—especially during planting and harvest—also matter.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in Montana ($41,390), lowest in Georgia ($30,300).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $32,900 | $35,660 | $45,690 | about 266,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | $41,390 | about 720 |
| Illinois | $41,050 | about 3,000 |
| New York | $40,930 | about 3,000 |
| Washington | $39,170 | about 13,000 |
| Michigan | $38,680 | about 5,000 |
Official definition: Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities. Excludes “Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation” (37-3012), “Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products” (45-2041), and “Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers” (45-4011 through 45-4029).
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/farming-fishing-and-forestry/agricultural-workers.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/45-2092.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/40-child-labor-farms
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY