The previous H-2A workers’ minimum wage was $18.83 an hour. Under the Trump administration’s new guidelines, announced in October, the minimum wage will be lowered to about $16 an hour.
More than 380,000 migrant workers collectively are expected to lose between $4.4 billion to $5.4 billion in wages annually under the new guidelines, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Under the prior rules, it was illegal for workplaces to charge H-2A workers rent for housing; the Trump administration’s new rules open the door for employers to charge H-2A workers rent for housing.
Documented NY
January 20, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute said in a Jan. 9 blog post that the industry has lost jobs every month over the last eight months. April was when President Donald Trump’s tariff policies entered the financial markets.
Manufacturing Dive
January 20, 2026
Some labor advocates and economists say the rule change would push wages down for both U.S. and foreign farmworkers. The Economic Policy Institute estimates the revised wage methodology could reduce total U.S. farmworker pay by about $3 billion a year—roughly 9% of total wages.
Forbes
January 20, 2026
A total of 19 states increased their minimums in 2026, each of them landing between $10 an hour and $18 an hour. Nationwide, at least 30 states as well as Washington, D.C., have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank.
Restaurant Dive
January 20, 2026
Sources:
- Economic Policy Institute. “Family Budget Calculator,” Enter “Gregory County, South Dakota,” “2 adults,” and “no children” for data.
Investopedia
January 13, 2026
More recently, an Economic Policy Institute study (2023) found that significant shares of older workers ages 50–70 experience difficult working conditions. These include environmental hazards (54.2%), difficult schedules (53.7%), high-pressure jobs (46.1%), limited autonomy (45.9%), and adverse social interactions (14.1%). Strikingly, 50.3% of older workers engage in at least one physical activity that can lead to injury.
Psychology Today
January 13, 2026
The previous H-2A workers’ minimum wage was $18.83 an hour. Under the Trump administration’s new guidelines, announced in October, the minimum wage will be lowered to about $16 an hour.
More than 380,000 migrant workers collectively are expected to lose between $4.4 billion to $5.4 billion in wages annually under the new guidelines, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Under the prior rules, it was illegal for workplaces to charge H-2A workers rent for housing; the Trump administration’s new rules open the door for employers to charge H-2A workers rent for housing.
Documented NY
January 13, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute said in a Jan. 9 blog post that the industry has lost jobs every month over the last eight months. April was when President Donald Trump’s tariff policies entered the financial markets.
Manufacturing Dive
January 13, 2026
Some labor advocates and economists say the rule change would push wages down for both U.S. and foreign farmworkers. The Economic Policy Institute estimates the revised wage methodology could reduce total U.S. farmworker pay by about $3 billion a year—roughly 9% of total wages.
Forbes
January 13, 2026