Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

45-2092 Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

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 "Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products" (45-2041) and "Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers" (45-4011 through 45-4029).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
233,280 1.5 % $9.62 $20,020 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.19 $8.50 $8.99 $9.82 $12.37
Annual Wage (2) $17,040 $17,690 $18,690 $20,430 $25,740


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Crop Production 182,730 61.78 $9.29 $19,310
Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers 13,500 4.08 $10.40 $21,620
Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores 10,900 7.95 $10.75 $22,360
Beverage Manufacturing 4,270 2.53 $11.20 $23,290
Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers 3,740 0.52 $11.04 $22,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Crop Production 182,730 61.78 $9.29 $19,310
Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores 10,900 7.95 $10.75 $22,360
Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers 13,500 4.08 $10.40 $21,620
Beverage Manufacturing 4,270 2.53 $11.20 $23,290
Support Activities for Animal Production 570 2.11 $11.92 $24,800

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Traveler Accommodation 130 0.01 $19.63 $40,830
Amusement Parks and Arcades 100 0.06 $15.22 $31,650
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 670 0.02 $14.56 $30,280
Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities 50 0.01 $14.24 $29,620
Local Government (OES Designation) 1,130 0.02 $13.91 $28,930


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 149,680 10.66 5.86 $9.24 $19,220
Florida 23,480 3.28 1.81 $9.40 $19,560
Arizona 9,120 3.83 2.11 $9.04 $18,810
Washington 5,050 1.85 1.02 $12.31 $25,600
Texas 4,770 0.46 0.25 $10.29 $21,400




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 149,680 10.66 5.86 $9.24 $19,220
Arizona 9,120 3.83 2.11 $9.04 $18,810
Florida 23,480 3.28 1.81 $9.40 $19,560
Oregon 4,570 2.88 1.58 $9.82 $20,430
Idaho 1,440 2.43 1.34 $10.52 $21,890




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 770 0.24 0.13 $13.13 $27,310
Connecticut 310 0.20 0.11 $13.02 $27,080
Nebraska 650 0.72 0.40 $12.96 $26,960
Rhode Island 70 0.15 0.08 $12.95 $26,940
Delaware 50 0.11 0.06 $12.56 $26,110





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Bakersfield-Delano, CA 25,390 98.34 54.08 $8.96 $18,640
Salinas, CA 23,620 155.58 85.55 $9.30 $19,350
Fresno, CA 22,670 73.03 40.16 $8.89 $18,480
Visalia-Porterville, CA 21,730 164.60 90.51 $9.37 $19,500
Yuma, AZ 7,470 132.99 73.13 $8.99 $18,690
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 5,240 18.33 10.08 $9.37 $19,480
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 5,200 31.30 17.21 $9.06 $18,850
Modesto, CA 5,060 33.79 18.58 $8.93 $18,570
Stockton, CA 4,970 25.52 14.03 $8.70 $18,100
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4,650 4.07 2.24 $9.43 $19,620




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Visalia-Porterville, CA 21,730 164.60 90.51 $9.37 $19,500
Salinas, CA 23,620 155.58 85.55 $9.30 $19,350
Yuma, AZ 7,470 132.99 73.13 $8.99 $18,690
Madera-Chowchilla, CA 3,680 101.00 55.54 $8.83 $18,370
Bakersfield-Delano, CA 25,390 98.34 54.08 $8.96 $18,640
El Centro, CA 4,370 88.19 48.50 $9.43 $19,620
Fresno, CA 22,670 73.03 40.16 $8.89 $18,480
Merced, CA 2,200 38.11 20.96 $8.65 $17,990
Napa, CA 2,290 37.13 20.41 $11.91 $24,780
Modesto, CA 5,060 33.79 18.58 $8.93 $18,570




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 140 0.08 0.05 $17.93 $37,300
Honolulu, HI 80 0.20 0.11 $15.61 $32,470
Cedar Rapids, IA (8) (8) (8) $15.58 $32,400
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 130 0.38 0.21 $15.55 $32,350
Jonesboro, AR 50 1.02 0.56 $15.38 $31,980
Champaign-Urbana, IL 70 0.74 0.41 $15.21 $31,640
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 60 0.15 0.08 $15.02 $31,250
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 550 0.30 0.17 $14.86 $30,920
Boulder, CO (8) (8) (8) $14.77 $30,720
Valdosta, GA (8) (8) (8) $14.73 $30,650

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Florida nonmetropolitan area 4,370 45.93 25.26 $9.07 $18,860
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,830 65.54 36.04 $9.30 $19,340
Central Washington nonmetropolitan area 1,180 19.03 10.46 $15.16 $31,530
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,130 3.86 2.12 $8.42 $17,520
East Georgia nonmetropolitan area 680 8.40 4.62 $8.46 $17,600

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,830 65.54 36.04 $9.30 $19,340
South Florida nonmetropolitan area 4,370 45.93 25.26 $9.07 $18,860
Central Washington nonmetropolitan area 1,180 19.03 10.46 $15.16 $31,530
Southwestern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 400 15.31 8.42 $8.70 $18,100
East Georgia nonmetropolitan area 680 8.40 4.62 $8.46 $17,600

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 50 0.71 0.39 $16.40 $34,110
Central Washington nonmetropolitan area 1,180 19.03 10.46 $15.16 $31,530
Eastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 40 0.28 0.15 $14.91 $31,010
Northeastern Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 200 2.23 1.23 $14.30 $29,750
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 60 0.73 0.40 $14.08 $29,290


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012