Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Also called: Agriculture Laborer, Agriculture Worker, Apple Picker, Apple Thinner, Apple Turner, Asparagus Cutter, Bale Sewer, Baller
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops.
What farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse do
Typical tasks
- Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
- Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
- Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
- Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
- Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
- Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
- Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
- Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse salary
The median annual wage for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse is $35,660 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $32,900 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $45,690. The mean annual wage is $37,630.
The mean hourly wage of $18.00 is 2.5× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $35,660 → in 3 years $38,900 → in 5 years $41,100 → in 10 years $47,400 (10-year range $40,800–$55,100). The model assumes pay growth of +2.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse United States | 花き栽培者 Japan | 稲作農業者 Japan | 植物工場の栽培管理 Japan | ハウス野菜栽培者 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $35,660 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $47,400 | ¥4.71M | ¥4.71M | ¥4.68M | ¥4.72M |
| Outlook score | 46 | 52 | 52 | 47 | 52 |
| AI replacement risk | 21% Low | 18% Very low | 17% Very low | 27% Low | 16% Very low |
| Workers | 266K | — | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.