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Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

General Information

Description

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.

Workplace at a Glance

What you can expect to experience while on the job

  • Responsibility
  • Exposure to job hazards
  • Physical activity
  • Decision making
  • Repetitiveness
  • Level of competition
  • Time pressure

Industry areas

  • Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

Job Outlook

Overall employment of agricultural workers is projected to show little or no change from 2021 to 2031. Despitelimitedemployment growth, about 141,800 openings for agricultural workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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Job Outlook

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Overall employment of agricultural workers is projected to show little or no change from 2021 to 2031. Despitelimitedemployment growth, about 141,800 openings for agricultural workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Similar Careers

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Salary

Average Salary

Salary

$29,630

State-by-state Salary

Gray states indicate no data available

$45,760
$17,770
No Information for this section

Education

Most Common Education Levels

People in this career achieve this level of education.

  • Less than high school 38%
  • High school 28%
  • Bachelor's degree 15%
  • Some college 5%
  • Master's degree 5%
  • Associate's degree 2%
  • First professional degree 2%
  • Post baccalaureate 1%
  • Doctoral degree 0%
  • Post-doctoral training 0%
  • Post-master's certificate 0%
  • Post-secondary certificate 0%

Knowledge

  • Biology
  • Mechanical
  • Chemistry
  • Food Production
  • Administration and Management

Skills at a Glance

Skills helpful in this career

  • Verbal skills
  • Critical thinking & problem solving
  • Equipment operation & maintenance
  • Math & science skills
  • Technology design & control
  • Leadership
No Information for this section

* Military pay may be higher based on specialty pays or bonuses. Learn more about Military benefits.

Data supplied by Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center of Education Statistics, Defense Manpower Data Center (View our update schedule). Contact any business, college or military service branch to answer additional questions.