Farmworkers wages increased slightly in 2021 but only two-thirds as much as workers outside of agriculture: Average hourly wage rate and percentage change for farmworkers compared with other workers, 2020 to 2021
| Type | 2020 | 2021 | Real % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonsupervisory farmworkers | $15.30 | $15.56 | 1.7% |
| Workers with less than HS | $15.77 | $15.50 | -1.7% |
| Workers with HS diploma only | $21.03 | $20.63 | -1.9% |
| Nonsupervisory nonfarm | $25.82 | $26.49 | 2.6% |
| All workers | $30.14 | $29.70 | -1.5% |
Note: All values are in constant 2021 dollars. HS = high school. Nonsupervisory nonfarm workers’ wage represents the average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees, total for the private sector, not seasonally adjusted. Nonsupervisory farmworkers’ wage is the gross average hourly wage of field and livestock workers. Data for all workers, and for workers with a high school diploma and less than high school, can be found at the Economic Policy Institute State of Working America Data Library.
Source: Author’s analysis of USDA, Economic Research Service using data from National Agricultural Statistics Service, Farm Labor Survey, and nonfarm wage data are from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey; EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata (Economic Policy Institute, State of Working America Data Library).
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