Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 45-2092

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, then wages beside peers such as Fallers, Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products, Log Graders and Scalers, Agricultural Inspectors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: Fallers ($52K) , Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products ($36K) , Log Graders and Scalers ($46K) , Agricultural Inspectors ($50K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 45-2092 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers
  2. 2. Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs
  3. 3. Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting
  4. 4. Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops
  5. 5. Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them
  6. 6. Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems
  7. 7. Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease
  8. 8. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment
  9. 9. Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products
  10. 10. Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand
  11. 11. Set up and operate irrigation equipment
  12. 12. Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 45-2092 - lead skill Speaking at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Food Production. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 3.0
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 2.9
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 2.8
  5. 5. Writing 2.8
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 2.8
  7. 7. Monitoring 2.8
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Food Production 2.8
  2. 2. Biology 2.8
  3. 3. Mechanical 2.7
  4. 4. Administration and Management 2.7
  5. 5. Chemistry 2.6
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.6
Occupation safety grade
B
Safe
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $35,660/yr
$36K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
71,700
Annual openings
265,500
Estimated US jobs
Fallers
Highest-pay peer · $52K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

1. Nebraska $39,530
2. South Dakota $42,260
3. Michigan $38,680
4. Illinois $41,050
5. Montana $41,390
6. Wyoming $55,180
7. Maryland $38,420
8. Washington $39,170
9. New York $40,930
10. Maine $39,060

Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles

  1. 1. Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products $35,730
  2. 2. Log Graders and Scalers $46,330
  3. 3. Fallers $52,100
  4. 4. Agricultural Inspectors $49,940
  5. 5. Logging Workers, All Other $50,840
  6. 6. Agricultural Workers, All Other $39,850

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of B from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $35,660 inside Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations (SOC 45-2092).

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 71,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Nebraska at $39,530. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Fallers at $52,100. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse pay-rank #13 in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

On the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table (13 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse lands at #13, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Safety grade B carries into what comes next for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: the OEWS state map, the safest/highest-pay peers, and a head-to-head against another SOC.

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 45-2092

Nebraska · top state for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

$40K published median

South Dakota · #2 state pay

$42K · behind Nebraska

Fallers

Highest-pay peer vs Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse · $52K

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

Lower-pay peer beside Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse · $36K

Compare Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse land on the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table? ▼
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is pay-rank #13 of 13 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products ($36K), Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals ($37K), Agricultural Workers, All Other ($40K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse. Leading ones include: Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers; 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse? ▼
For SOC 45-2092, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (3.0), Operations Monitoring (3.0), Active Listening (2.9), Reading Comprehension (2.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Food Production, Biology, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,660 as the national median for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse. The published 10th-90th range is $32,900 to $45,690. Beside Fallers ($52,100), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 71,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse? ▼
Nebraska ($39,530), South Dakota ($42,260), Michigan ($38,680) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 45-2092. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics