How much does a farm worker make?

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.

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).

What's a typical day like?

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.

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.

High school plus some training (preparation level 2 of 5)

Good for people who like building and doing and keeping things organized.

Some U.S. farmworkers can spot pests or disease by feeling a plant’s leaves and noticing their color.