Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse Farmworkers and Laborers
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Speciality
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Overview
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.
Titles for this career often contain these words
WorkerPickerCutterFruitCaneFarmworkerHandFieldPackerVegetableLaborerCropGreenhouseFarmNurseryOperatorCornHelperIrrigationBulbGrowerLoaderCeleryNutIrrigatorThinnerPlanterStripperTierDitchHarvestFlowerTransplanterMushroomPlantTobaccoTreeAppleWeederFlumeCarrotHarvesterWrapperCottonGrainFarmerDiggerHopHorticulturalPlantingMaterialPortablePotatoSeedAgricultureBeetTopperBerryBurnerBuncherCitrusDetasselerShellerPullerCleanerTenderDitcherCropsGrapeAssistantAssociateSpecialistCultivatorHayRemoverSystemNurserymanMigratoryOliveOnionOrchardOrchidPecanPropagatorProduceShallotTasselTractorTurnerAsparagusBaleSewerBallerBeanBinderBogBrushBudderWatcherWatchmanPusherCaretakerHuskerShredderShuckerStomperDusterRanchCullerCustomGrinderRiderDiversifiedDrylandEradicatorRancherBroomerScalerHandymanHaulerFigCaprifierFirebreakFlaggerFlagmanFloristFoodGardenerGinnerGrafterGravityFlowLaboratoryGroundGroundmanGroundsGroveGrubberGunFertilizerMillHaulBrakemanStackerHerbHiredHoeHoerTrainerHydroLandClearerLettuceGrowthOrangePearPoleSetterLineRiceShedTilePipeYam
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Responsibilities and activities

Agricultural workers typically do the following:

  • Harvest and inspect crops by hand
  • Irrigate farm soil and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps
  • Operate and service farm machinery and tools
  • Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungi, and weeds
  • Move shrubs, plants, and trees with wheelbarrows or tractors
  • Feed livestock and clean and disinfect their pens, cages, yards, and hutches
  • Examine animals to detect symptoms of illnesses or injuries and administer vaccines to protect animals from diseases
  • Use brands, tags, or tattoos to mark livestock in order to identify ownership and grade
  • Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures

The following are examples of types of agricultural workers:

Agricultural equipment operators use a variety of farm equipment to plow and sow seeds, as well as maintain and harvest crops. They may use tractors, fertilizer spreaders, balers, combines, threshers, and trucks. These workers also operate machines such as conveyor belts, loading machines, separators, cleaners, and dryers. Workers may make adjustments and minor repairs to equipment.

Animal breeders use their knowledge of genetics and animal science to select and breed animals that will produce offspring with desired traits and characteristics. For example, they breed chickens that lay more eggs, pigs that produce leaner meat, and sheep with more desirable wool. Others breed and raise cats, dogs, and other household pets.

To know which animals to breed and when to breed them, animal breeders keep detailed records. Breeders note animals’ health, size, and weight, as well as the amount and quality of the product they produce. Animal breeders also track the traits of animals’ offspring.

Some animal breeders may consult with farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers about their livestock.

Crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers perform numerous tasks related to growing and harvesting grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other crops. They plant, seed, prune, irrigate, and harvest crops, and pack and load them for shipment.

Farmworkers also apply pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to crops. They repair fences and some farm equipment.

Nursery and greenhouse workers prepare land or greenhouse beds for growing horticultural products such as trees, plants, flowers, and sod. They also plant, water, prune, weed, and spray the plants. They may cut, roll, and stack sod; stake trees; tie, wrap, and pack plants to fill orders; and dig up or move field-grown shrubs and trees.

Farm and ranch animal farmworkers care for live animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, poultry, finfish, shellfish, and bees. These animals usually are raised to supply meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, or honey.

These farmworkers may feed, herd, brand, weigh, and load animals. They also keep records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides.

Many workers clean and maintain animal housing areas every day. On dairy farms, animal farmworkers operate milking machines.

Salary
Median salary: $28,660 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $27,070 and $31,310.
$29K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for specialized agricultural workers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$22K$22K$26K$23K$23K$19K$24K$24K$25K$0$20K$40K$60K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
020K40K60K80K100K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse Farmworkers and Laborers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse Farmworkers and Laborers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Dexterity
Agricultural workers need excellent hand-eye coordination to harvest crops and operate farm machinery.
Listening skills
Agricultural workers need to work well with others. Because they take instructions from farmers and other agricultural managers, effective listening is critical.
Physical stamina
Agricultural workers need to be able to perform laborious tasks repeatedly.
Physical strength
Agricultural workers must be strong enough to lift heavy objects, including tools and crops.
Mechanical skills
Agricultural workers must be able to operate complex farm machinery. They also occasionally do routine maintenance on the machinery.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers typically hold no formal educational credential.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as specialized agricultural workers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers

Some agricultural workers, especially those who operate equipment, need a valid driver’s license. Agricultural workers who handle pesticides might need a pesticide applicator license. And in a few states, certain types of animal breeders must be licensed.

Education level of Specialized Agricultural Workers
Only 5% of specialized agricultural workers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by specialized agricultural workers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Specialized Agricultural Workers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for specialized agricultural workers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for specialized agricultural workers.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which specialized agricultural workers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Specialized Agricultural Workers (ACS for all specialties)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
16% of Specialized agricultural workers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 16% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 59% of careers.
16%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of specialized agricultural workers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$22K$22K$18K$25K$29K$23K$31K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000Working without paySelf-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Specialized agricultural workers and gender
With 20% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 66% of careers.
Gender of Specialized agricultural workers
Men (80%)
Women (20%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$16K$24K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
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Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for specialized agricultural workers tops that, with the median salary for men 47% higher than the median salary for women.
47%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Specialized agricultural workers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Specialized agricultural workers.
Race/origin of specialized agricultural workers
White (71% )
Other (20% )
Hispanic (3% )
Black (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
American Indian (1% )
Asian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$20K$20K$21K$21K$21K$22K$22K$23K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50KHispanicAmerican IndianOtherAsianBlackMultiracialPacific IslanderWhite
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.