Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 45-2093

Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

Median pay sits 26% below the mid peer in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations (neighbors include Fallers, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Agricultural Workers, All Other, Logging Workers, All Other).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: Fallers ($52K) , Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K) , Agricultural Workers, All Other ($40K) , Logging Workers, All Other ($51K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 45-2093 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies
  2. 2. Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures
  3. 3. Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain
  4. 4. Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive tre…
  5. 5. Mix feed, additives, and medicines in prescribed portions
  6. 6. Shift animals between grazing areas to ensure that they have sufficient access to food
  7. 7. Mark livestock to identify ownership and grade, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos
  8. 8. Protect herds from predators, using trained dogs
  9. 9. Order food for animals, and arrange for its delivery
  10. 10. Perform duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding animals within appropriate timeframes, performing artificial inseminat…
  11. 11. Patrol grazing lands on horseback or using all-terrain vehicles
  12. 12. Drive trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals

Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 45-2093 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.4
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.3
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.1
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  5. 5. Operation and Control 3.1
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  8. 8. Speaking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 3.2
  2. 2. Biology 3.2
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.1
  4. 4. English Language 3.1
  5. 5. Mechanical 3.1
  6. 6. Food Production 3.0
Pay vs Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations peers
-26%
vs mid peer median $49,740
This role $36,670/yr
$37K
National median
↓ -5%
Growth 2024-2034
31,200
Annual openings
32,810
Estimated US jobs
Fallers
Highest-pay peer · $52K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

1. Hawaii $47,050
2. Alaska $50,450
3. Maine $42,170
4. West Virginia $48,460
5. Maryland $41,760
6. Idaho $40,580
7. Minnesota $46,020
8. Vermont $40,730
9. North Dakota $40,320
10. Washington $45,370

Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations titles

  1. 1. Agricultural Workers, All Other $39,850
  2. 2. Logging Workers, All Other $50,840
  3. 3. Fallers $52,100
  4. 4. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $35,660
  5. 5. Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products $35,730
  6. 6. Agricultural Equipment Operators $41,730

Among Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations peers on this card, Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals sits 26% below the mid peer median ($49,740). Its own median is $36,670.

Employment Projections expect -5% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 31,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Hawaii at $47,050. 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, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals pay-rank #11 in Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations

On the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table (13 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals lands at #11, 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.

Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals pays 26% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 45-2093

Hawaii · top state for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

$47K published median

Alaska · #2 state pay

$50K · behind Hawaii

Fallers

Highest-pay peer vs Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals · $52K

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Lower-pay peer beside Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals · $36K

Compare Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

Against another occupation

Fallers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals land on the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations median table? ▼
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is pay-rank #11 of 13 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products ($36K), Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse ($36K), Agricultural Workers, All Other ($40K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals. Leading ones include: Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies; Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures; Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain; Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive tre…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals? ▼
For SOC 45-2093, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.4), Monitoring (3.3), Active Listening (3.1), Operations Monitoring (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Biology, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $36,670 as the national median for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals. The published 10th-90th range is $27,360 to $54,080. Beside Fallers ($52,100), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is -5%. Projected annual openings: about 31,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals? ▼
Hawaii ($47,050), Alaska ($50,450), Maine ($42,170) 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, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 45-2093. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals. 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