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.
How to read this profile
BLS projects U.S. employment for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse to decrease by -2.4% between 2024 and 2034, from 546,800 to 533,600 jobs. Its estimate of 72,500 annual openings includes replacement needs, so it does not represent current vacancies, contract postings, or freelance demand. The wage ($35,660), education (No formal educational credential), and related experience (None) figures on this profile describe typical U.S. employees. O*NET skills describe the occupation; they do not assess an individual worker's proficiency.
Base employment (2024)
546,800
Projected employment (2034)
533,600
Projected change (2024–2034)
-2%
Annual openings (projected average)
72,500
Pay & Preparation
$35,660
No formal educational credential
None
Short-term on-the-job training
Essential Skills
Operations Monitoring (3/5) • Speaking (3/5) • Active Listening (2.88/5) • Writing (2.75/5) • Monitoring (2.75/5) • Critical Thinking (2.75/5)
O*NET describes occupational requirements; these ratings do not measure current job-posting frequency or an individual worker’s proficiency.
BLS projections are long-term estimates; annual openings include growth and replacement needs and are not current vacancies.
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