In 2023, farmworkers in Colorado earned less than half the average hourly rate of all workers in the state and three-fifths of non-farm workers nationwide: Average hourly wage rate for nonsupervisory farmworkers compared with average hourly wages of other workers, nationwide and Colorado, 2023
| Type | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Nonsupervisory farmworkers (nationwide) | $17.55 | |
| H-2A farmworkers in CO (AEWR) | $16.34 | |
| Nonsupervisory farmworkers CO region | $16.63 | |
| Workers with less than high school (nationwide) | $17.47 | |
| Workers with HS diploma only (nationwide) | $22.94 | |
| Nonsupervisory nonfarm (nationwide) | $28.94 | |
| All workers (nationwide) | $33.50 | |
| All workers (CO) | $34.60 | |
Notes: All values are for 2023 and in 2023 dollars. HS = high school. H-2A wage reflects the Adverse Effect Wage Rate set by the Department of Labor for fiscal year 2023 for migrant farmworkers working in H-2A status in the state of Colorado. 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, combined. 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 Farm Labor Survey data and nonfarm wage data from the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey; EPI analysis of CPI-ORG microdata; Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Certification Process for the Temporary Employment of Foreign Workers in Agriculture in the United States: Adverse Effect Wage Rates for Non-Range Occupations in 2023, 87 Fed. Reg. 77142 (December 16, 2022); Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, "Colorado Occupational Employment and Wages - 2023," Press Release, Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
This chart appears in:
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