Farmworkers in year-round jobs will earn much lower wages if paid the 2026 H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate: Average annual employment and wages in selected industries and states, and wage differentials between 2025 annual wages and annualized 2026 AEWR at Skill Level 1
| State | Industry | Average annual employment, 2025 | Average annual wages, 2025 | Annual wages, 2026 AEWR after housing deduction* | Difference between annual H-2A wage and non H-2A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Poultry and egg | 2,475 | $57,254 | $35,152 | -$22,102 |
| TX | Poultry and egg | 3,578 | $66,296 | $20,738 | -$45,558 |
| CA | Mushroom | 1,536 | $52,624 | $35,152 | -$17,472 |
| PA | Mushroom | 4,130 | $51,453 | $25,709 | -$25,744 |
| IA | Hog and pig farming | 4,507 | $55,788 | $27,144 | -$28,644 |
| NC | Hog and pig farming | 2,647 | $53,010 | $23,067 | -$29,943 |
| OK | Hog and pig farming | 1,644 | $53,738 | $20,904 | -$32,834 |
| CA | Dairy cattle and milk | 16,325 | $58,355 | $35,152 | -$23,203 |
| NY | Dairy cattle and milk | 9,286 | $52,411 | $33,280 | -$19,131 |
| WI | Dairy cattle and milk | 15,583 | $45,775 | $24,960 | -$20,815 |
Notes: Amounts are nominal and have not been adjusted for inflation. The annual wage rate based on an annualized Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), shown in the fifth column, is calculated by taking the 2026 hourly AEWR for Skill Level 1 and subtracting the hourly housing deduction, and multiplying the total by 40 hours per week and 52 weeks. *For California and New York the hourly state minimum wage rates are higher than Skill Level 1 and thus set the AEWR. For both states, estimates assume that employers will not be permitted to subtract the housing deduction because it would set the AEWR below the state minimum wage.
Source: EPI analysis of Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor [2025 data]; industry codes: 1123, Poultry and egg production; 111411, Mushroom production; 1122, Hog and pig farming; and 11212, Dairy cattle and milk production. QCEW data for 2025 are preliminary. H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate for fiscal year 2026 from Employment and Training Administration, Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States, U.S. Department of Labor, Interim Final Rule, 90 Fed. Reg. 47914 at 47926 (October 2, 2025).
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