Farm Labor National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released November 20, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Farm Labor" call Steve Logan at 202-690-3228, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Hired Workers Down 3 Percent, Wages Up 4 Percent From a Year Ago There were 1.25 million hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches the week of October 11-17, 1998, down 3 percent from a year ago. There were 983 thousand workers hired directly by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 263,000 workers. Migrant workers accounted for 11.0 percent of the October hired workforce compared to 11.2 percent last year. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $7.60 per hour during the October 1998 survey week, up 29 cents from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $7.15 per hour, up 21 cents from last October. Livestock workers earned $7.28 per hour compared with $6.80 a year earlier. The Field and Livestock worker combined wage rate was up 26 cents from last year. Number of hours worked averaged 42.7 hours for hired workers during the survey week compared with 40.9 hours a year ago. The largest increases in number of hired farm workers over last year occurred in California, Mountain III (Arizona and New Mexico), Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina), and Mountain I (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming). In California, grape harvest was very active and harvesting of vegetables, fruit/nuts, and other crops was also active. Increases in the Mountain III region were attributable to late harvesting because of cool, wet weather earlier in the year. Drier weather enabled farmers to make good harvest progress in the Southeast region. Ranchers were busy moving livestock off summer ranges in the Mountain I region. The largest declines in number of hired farm workers from a year ago were in the Appalachian II (Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia), Corn Belt II (Iowa and Missouri) and Northern Plains (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas). In the Appalachian II region, corn, soybean, and tobacco harvest was well ahead of average and nearing completion. Stripping of tobacco continued at a slow pace due to lack of humidity and rainfall. Late-week heavy rains halted fieldwork in most of the Corn Belt II region following several days of favorable harvest weather. Cool, wet weather in the Dakotas slowed harvest there. Fall harvest was ahead of schedule in Kansas and Nebraska. The 1998 annual averages for the Nation's self employed, unpaid, and hired workers were 1.49 million, 460.5 and 879.5 thousand respectively. The self employed and unpaid worker annual averages were down from last year at 3 and 1 percent respectively. The hired workers annual average was virtually unchanged from a year ago. The 1998 U.S. hired worker annual average wage rate was $7.47, up 2 percent from the 1997 annual average wage rate of $7.35. The Field and Livestock worker combined annual average wage rate was $6.98,up 5 percent from the previous year's annual average wage rate of $6.64. Sp Sy 8 (11-98) Farm Labor: Employment and Wage Rates, United States, October 11-17, 1998, with Comparisons 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 12-18, : July 12-18, : October 11-17, Farm Employment : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Hired Workers : Expected to be Employed : 1,004 1,071 983 150 Days or More : 648 712 696 149 Days or Less : 356 359 287 : Agricultural Services : Workers Working on Farms : 283 379 263 : Hired Farm & Service Workers : 1,287 1,450 1,246 : : : Percent : Migrant Workers Percent of : Hired Farm & Service Workers: 11.2 13.7 11.0 : : : Hours per Week : Hours Worked : Hired : 40.9 40.7 42.7 : : : Dollars per Hour : Wage Rates for : All Hired Workers 2/ 3/ : 7.31 7.24 7.60 : Type of Worker : Field & Livestock Combined : 6.91 6.80 7.17 Field : 6.94 6.78 7.15 Livestock : 6.80 6.91 7.28 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes AK. 2/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, October 11-17, 1998 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 43 31 12 39.6 Northeast II : 32 24 8 38.4 : Appalachian I : 44 27 17 37.5 Appalachian II : 27 12 15 31.5 : Southeast : 38 30 8 38.6 FL : 47 42 5 43.0 : Lake : 59 38 21 39.6 : Cornbelt I : 53 34 19 39.6 Cornbelt II : 28 20 8 38.6 : Delta : 40 29 11 49.2 : Northern Plains : 33 21 12 39.7 : Southern Plains : 53 37 16 39.0 : Mountain I : 33 21 12 48.3 Mountain II : 23 19 4 47.0 Mountain III : 25 21 4 46.8 : Pacific : 85 41 44 37.2 CA : 312 242 70 47.7 : HI : 8 7 1 36.6 : US 3/ : 983 696 287 42.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Workers and All Hired Workers by Region and United States, October 11-17, 1998 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.52 6.90 7.32 7.82 Northeast II : 7.11 6.74 6.98 7.59 : Appalachian I : 6.60 7.38 6.73 7.08 Appalachian II : 6.23 6.92 6.40 6.73 : Southeast : 6.46 6.45 6.46 6.63 FL : 7.10 7.30 7.13 7.82 : Lake : 8.23 7.40 7.99 8.45 : Cornbelt I : 7.43 7.76 7.49 7.90 Cornbelt II : 7.23 8.20 7.56 8.03 : Delta : 5.85 7.07 6.05 6.48 : Northern Plains : 7.65 6.03 7.24 7.57 : Southern Plains : 6.14 6.58 6.28 6.77 : Mountain I : 6.89 6.72 6.85 7.03 Mountain II : 6.37 7.33 6.82 7.32 Mountain III : 6.55 6.33 6.52 7.00 : Pacific : 7.76 8.76 7.86 8.25 CA : 7.29 7.99 7.34 7.75 : HI 4/ : 9.20 9.17 10.65 : US 3/ : 7.15 7.28 7.17 7.60 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. 4/ Insufficient data for livestock. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, July 12-18, 1998 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 48 34 14 39.8 Northeast II : 47 30 17 40.7 : Appalachian I : 66 33 33 34.8 Appalachian II : 38 18 20 26.7 : Southeast : 45 30 15 39.5 FL : 45 40 5 41.5 : Lake : 72 40 32 37.3 : Cornbelt I : 50 28 22 32.1 Cornbelt II : 28 21 7 28.7 : Delta : 40 28 12 40.9 : Northern Plains : 45 25 20 42.3 : Southern Plains : 63 45 18 44.4 : Mountain I : 31 20 11 44.7 Mountain II : 30 20 10 41.4 Mountain III : 22 16 6 47.7 : Pacific : 95 43 52 43.9 CA : 298 234 64 44.5 : HI : 8 7 1 36.6 : US 3/ : 1,071 712 359 40.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers By Region and United States, July 12-18, 1998 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.27 6.80 7.12 *7.59 Northeast II : 6.95 6.20 6.75 7.22 : Appalachian I : 6.24 7.12 6.34 6.70 Appalachian II : 6.07 6.54 6.24 6.59 : Southeast : 6.02 5.82 5.99 6.22 FL : 7.25 6.90 7.21 8.08 : Lake : 6.95 6.41 6.77 7.01 : Cornbelt I : 7.45 7.52 7.47 7.84 Cornbelt II : 6.61 7.62 7.02 7.52 : Delta : 6.20 6.83 6.36 6.75 : Northern Plains : 6.73 6.51 6.69 7.08 : Southern Plains : 5.98 5.98 5.98 6.32 : Mountain I : 6.05 6.47 6.13 6.26 Mountain II : 6.13 7.08 6.39 6.95 Mountain III : 6.11 6.74 6.22 6.65 : Pacific : 6.77 8.70 6.91 7.27 CA : 7.10 8.05 7.19 7.72 : HI 4/ : 8.82 8.91 10.30 : US 3/ : 6.78 6.91 6.80 7.24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. 4/ Insufficient data for livestock. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, October 12-18, 1997 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More 3/ : or Less 3/ : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 46 32 14 40.4 Northeast II : 43 34 9 37.1 : Appalachian I : 53 22 31 31.3 Appalachian II : 52 18 34 29.9 : Southeast : 32 25 7 39.4 FL : 45 41 4 39.9 : Lake : 80 48 32 41.3 : Cornbelt I : 56 33 23 41.3 Cornbelt II : 46 29 17 39.9 : Delta : 52 35 17 45.4 : Northern Plains : 52 35 17 45.8 : Southern Plains : 66 45 21 38.8 : Mountain I : 28 20 8 41.5 Mountain II : 26 21 5 40.3 Mountain III : 20 16 4 41.5 : Pacific : 79 42 37 41.0 CA : 220 145 75 45.6 : HI : 8 7 1 36.4 : US 3/ : 1,004 648 356 40.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers By Region and United States, October 12-18, 1997 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.39 6.45 7.09 7.49 Northeast II : 6.68 6.18 6.50 7.06 : Appalachian I : 6.51 6.77 6.55 6.73 Appalachian II : 6.14 6.16 6.14 6.27 : Southeast : 6.38 6.27 6.36 *6.88 FL : 7.10 7.65 7.19 7.75 : Lake : 7.85 6.01 7.28 7.73 : Cornbelt I : 7.17 7.46 7.21 7.81 Cornbelt II : 7.08 7.08 7.08 7.23 : Delta : 5.92 6.40 5.99 6.22 : Northern Plains : 7.05 6.59 6.91 7.22 : Southern Plains : 6.10 6.73 6.41 6.70 : Mountain I : 6.28 6.74 6.43 6.65 Mountain II : 6.74 7.23 6.85 7.25 Mountain III : 6.17 6.66 6.25 6.85 : Pacific : 7.55 8.14 7.60 8.11 CA : 7.06 7.84 7.13 7.55 : HI 4/ : 8.49 8.55 9.98 : US 3/ : 6.94 6.80 6.91 7.31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 13. 3/ Excludes AK. 4/ Insufficient data for livestock. Field and Livestock Workers Combined: Wage Rates, by Type of Farm, by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 12-18, 1997 : October 11-17, 1998 :--------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/ : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast : 6.80 6.98 6.41 6.70 7.49 7.15 6.75 7.05 Appalachian : 6.22 7.03 6.42 6.37 6.42 7.08 7.18 6.83 Southeast : 6.45 6.81 7.40 6.85 6.32 6.80 7.18 6.88 Lake : 7.16 8.33 6.08 7.28 7.21 8.53 7.68 7.99 Cornbelt : 7.12 7.46 7.18 7.20 7.00 7.53 8.26 7.61 Delta : 5.58 6.46 6.22 5.99 5.55 6.52 6.92 6.05 Northern Plains : 7.23 6.97 6.40 6.91 7.45 7.58 6.84 7.24 Southern Plains : 6.12 6.33 6.55 6.41 6.30 5.99 6.50 6.28 Mountain : 6.40 6.48 7.04 6.63 6.47 6.63 6.94 6.71 Pacific : 7.52 7.47 8.12 7.66 7.94 7.75 8.41 7.93 48 States : 6.58 7.10 6.82 6.91 6.66 7.24 7.30 7.17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Hired Workers: Wage Rates, by Economic Class of Farm by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 12-18, 1997 : October 11-17, 1998 Region :----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2/ : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : :----------------------------: All :----------------------------: All : <40 :40-99 :100-249 :250+ :Farms : <40 :40-99 :100-249 : 250+ :Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : N. East : 7.94 6.81 6.85 7.33 7.27 6.53 6.85 6.20 8.68 7.72 Appal. : 5.91 6.36 6.28 7.12 6.40 6.17 6.22 7.02 7.46 6.96 S. East : 6.82 6.53 6.44 7.72 7.45 6.64 7.40 7.73 7.29 7.32 Lake : 5.94 5.10 8.06 7.02 7.73 3/ 3/ 8.69 8.38 8.45 Cornbelt: 7.40 7.47 6.82 7.80 7.48 8.14 6.16 8.13 8.11 7.94 Delta : 6.26 5.91 5.90 6.35 6.22 6.98 6.05 5.46 6.84 6.48 N. Plain: 3/ 5.48 6.56 7.32 7.22 3/ 6.95 7.11 7.82 7.57 S. Plain: 5.79 6.12 6.42 7.03 6.70 7.06 6.56 6.59 6.80 6.77 Mountain: 6.29 5.77 6.07 7.22 6.87 6.45 6.72 7.23 7.11 7.10 Pacific : 9.92 8.99 8.25 7.88 7.97 7.50 7.75 7.59 7.88 7.84 48 State: 6.82 6.62 6.93 7.51 7.31 7.12 6.90 7.24 7.75 7.60 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Regions consist of the following States. Northeast: CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT. Appalachian: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV. Southeast: AL, FL, GA, SC. Lake: MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt: IA, IL, IN, MO, OH. Delta: AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains: KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains: OK, TX. Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY. Pacific: CA, OR, WA. 48 States: All States, excluding AK and HI. 3/ Insufficient data. Field and Livestock Workers: Distribution by Type of Farm, 48 States 1/ 2/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of : October 12-18, : July 12-18, : October 11-17, Farm : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Field and Livestock Workers : Field Crops : 24 17 14 Other Crops : 50 55 62 Livestock, Dairy, : & Poultry : 26 28 24 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Economic Class of Farm, 48 States 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Value : October 12-18, : July 12-18, : October 11-17, of Sales : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers : Less than $40,000 : 12 *10 10 $40,000-$99,999 : 10 *9 8 $100,000-$249,999 : 15 16 15 $250,000 and over : 63 65 67 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Category, United States, 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 12-18, : July 12-18, : October 11-17, : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers Employed on Farms Hiring : 1 Worker : 11 9 9 2 Workers : 11 9 9 3-6 Workers : 20 21 20 7-10 Workers : 8 10 9 At least 11 Workers : 50 51 53 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ 48 States, excluding AK and HI. 2/ Field and Livestock Workers combined. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Agricultural Services Crew leaders and custom crews provided 263,000 workers for the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 11-17, 1998. Service workers in California numbered 95,000 this October compared with 85,000 last year. Florida's number of service workers was 5,900, compared to 6,000 last year. The average wage received by agricultural service workers in California and Florida were $6.97 and $8.07 per hour, respectively. Comparable wages in October 1997 were $7.37 in California and $8.30 in Florida. Agricultural Service Workers: Number, Hours Worked, and Wage Rates, for California, Florida, and United States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Workers : Hours : Wage : Working on Farms : Worked 2/ : Rates 2/ 3/ State:------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------- 1,000 ------- ------- Hours ------ Dollars per Hour : CA : 85.0 110.0 95.0 34.5 38.3 39.7 7.37 7.19 6.97 FL : *6.0 5.0 5.9 *27.0 32.0 30.0 *8.30 8.60 8.07 : US : 283.0 379.0 263.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Data are for Agricultural Services performed on the farm by custom service units such as crew leaders or custom crews. These statistics are not included in the State-Regional tables. 2/ United States data not available. 3/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. Migrant Workers: Percent of all Hired Workers, United States, By Quarter (Includes Agricultural Service Workers), 1995-98 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Apr : Jul : Oct -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : 1995 2/ : N/A N/A 12.4 11.6 1996 : 5.7 7.5 13.1 11.1 1997 : 9.5 6.3 10.8 11.2 1998 : 7.3 6.6 13.7 11.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Definition "Migrant Worker" is a farm worker whose employment required travel that prevented the farm worker from returning to his/her permanent place of residence the same day. 2/ Data first collected during July 1995 survey. Workers: Annual Average Number and Hours Worked By Region, State, and United States, 1997-98 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Hours Worked :--------------------------------------------------------------- State : Self : : : and : Employed : Unpaid : Hired : Hired Workers Region 2/ :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :-------------------- 1,000 ------------------- Hours per Week : NY : 30.0 31.0 11.3 13.0 20.0 20.5 41.4 39.7 Northeast I : 54.5 56.8 15.8 20.5 41.0 40.0 39.3 38.9 : PA : 51.5 46.5 27.8 30.5 22.5 17.7 41.3 39.7 Northeast II : 71.3 64.7 33.8 35.1 40.5 32.0 41.3 39.5 : NC : 50.5 39.8 9.3 9.1 32.8 27.5 30.8 35.6 VA : 31.8 30.0 8.5 8.2 12.4 11.4 36.8 37.4 Appalachian I : 82.3 69.8 17.8 17.3 45.3 38.9 36.4 36.1 : Appalachian II : 142.3 140.8 36.4 32.2 35.0 29.0 30.8 35.6 Southeast : 77.0 73.8 13.5 14.6 39.0 37.3 36.7 38.7 FL : 28.8 25.5 5.3 5.8 50.3 50.0 39.4 40.6 : MI : 38.3 36.8 8.5 8.0 21.8 23.8 36.9 38.6 MN : 68.8 67.8 25.0 22.8 16.8 16.6 42.5 36.4 WI : 54.0 54.0 25.5 31.5 25.8 17.4 33.3 32.2 Lake : 161.0 158.5 59.0 62.3 64.3 57.8 37.0 36.0 : Cornbelt I : 167.3 152.8 50.3 48.6 51.8 45.5 36.3 36.1 Cornbelt II : 144.8 138.8 44.0 37.0 33.5 28.5 37.0 34.2 Delta : 68.0 70.0 17.2 17.3 41.8 34.5 40.9 42.3 Northern Plains : 126.3 127.0 53.5 52.3 38.8 38.0 43.1 41.3 : OK : 57.3 61.0 16.5 18.8 14.8 13.3 41.9 40.3 TX : 165.3 172.8 23.5 27.8 47.8 43.3 40.7 40.6 Southern Plains : 222.5 233.8 40.0 46.5 62.5 56.5 40.9 40.6 : Mountain I : 40.5 36.4 19.0 14.3 21.3 25.8 44.1 44.2 Mountain II : 26.4 31.0 9.8 9.8 22.8 21.6 43.3 41.7 : AZ : 5.4 5.2 10.8 10.8 13.2 15.8 42.0 45.6 NM : 9.6 9.0 13.8 12.5 5.8 5.0 42.0 43.5 Mountain III : 15.0 14.2 24.5 23.3 19.0 20.8 42.0 45.1 : OR : 32.8 30.0 10.4 5.5 29.5 24.8 40.3 40.3 WA : 24.5 23.0 6.0 6.0 44.8 45.2 41.0 39.5 Pacific : 57.3 53.0 16.4 11.5 74.3 70.0 40.7 39.8 : CA : 38.8 36.5 6.3 11.5 188.8 246.0 43.6 44.1 HI : 3.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 7.0 7.5 36.7 36.0 : US 3/ :1,526.7 1,486.1 463.2 460.5 876.5 879.5 40.0 40.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates By Region and United States, 1997-98 1/ 4/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.63 7.63 7.23 7.65 6.84 7.18 Northeast II : 7.24 7.40 6.60 7.07 6.33 6.84 Appalachian I : 6.35 6.90 6.00 6.41 6.16 6.54 Appalachian II : 6.23 6.56 5.88 6.29 5.92 6.28 Southeast : 6.81 6.58 6.37 6.35 6.30 6.30 FL : 7.47 7.91 6.76 7.11 6.78 7.13 Lake : 7.30 7.87 7.42 7.53 6.85 7.34 Cornbelt I : 7.84 8.02 7.06 7.43 7.18 7.53 Cornbelt II : 7.10 7.61 7.02 7.14 6.86 7.17 Delta : 6.36 6.61 5.87 6.05 5.98 6.21 Northern Plains : 7.41 7.57 7.14 7.30 7.01 7.12 Southern Plains : 6.31 6.68 5.67 6.21 5.92 6.25 Mountain I : 6.72 6.71 6.19 6.49 6.54 6.48 Mountain II : 6.85 7.26 6.31 6.42 6.39 6.73 Mountain III : 6.67 6.97 6.07 6.39 6.08 6.42 Pacific : 7.56 7.87 7.00 7.18 7.08 7.34 CA : 7.32 7.71 6.79 7.13 6.87 7.23 HI : 10.15 10.41 8.81 8.99 8.83 8.97 : US 3/ : 7.35 7.47 6.66 6.97 6.64 6.98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. 4/ Annual rates are averages of the published wage rates for each survey week weighted by the number of hours worked during the week. The annual average for all States, Regions, and the U.S. is based on data collected for January, April, July, and October. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates By State, 1997-98 1/ 2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : AL : 6.17 6.20 5.89 5.84 5.74 5.86 AZ : 6.74 7.08 6.08 6.46 6.09 6.51 AR : 6.58 6.51 6.02 5.89 6.13 6.01 CA : 7.32 7.71 6.79 7.13 6.87 7.23 CO : 6.91 7.39 6.36 6.50 6.45 6.78 DE : 7.87 8.24 7.64 7.50 7.48 7.48 FL : 7.47 7.91 6.76 7.11 6.78 7.13 GA : 7.35 6.93 6.89 6.64 6.85 6.61 HI : 10.15 10.41 8.81 8.99 8.83 8.97 ID : 6.80 6.98 6.25 6.62 6.54 6.80 IL : 8.04 8.03 7.23 7.62 7.41 7.57 IN : 8.10 8.37 7.22 7.21 7.33 7.69 IA : 7.68 8.32 7.60 7.69 7.43 7.81 KS : 7.62 8.07 7.30 7.54 7.29 7.52 KY : 6.30 6.58 5.75 6.11 5.95 6.26 LA : 6.25 6.46 6.03 6.33 6.00 6.38 MD : 7.77 7.56 7.64 7.15 7.02 6.82 MI : 7.14 7.87 6.78 7.39 6.62 7.39 MN : 8.16 8.68 8.38 8.10 7.73 8.01 MS : 6.17 6.86 5.53 5.97 5.80 6.35 MO : 6.44 6.71 6.43 6.42 6.25 6.39 MT : 6.20 6.42 6.21 6.43 5.91 6.20 NE : 7.56 7.45 7.28 7.24 6.94 7.00 NV : 6.88 6.90 6.28 6.29 6.45 6.47 NJ : 7.25 7.94 6.39 7.05 6.48 7.15 NM : 6.49 6.60 6.01 6.05 6.07 6.11 NY : 7.21 7.10 7.32 7.25 6.80 6.93 NC : 6.25 6.89 5.96 6.43 6.04 6.53 ND : 7.34 7.85 7.63 7.70 7.40 7.67 OH : 7.10 7.56 6.70 7.37 6.70 7.33 OK : 6.97 7.47 6.10 6.86 6.41 6.77 OR : 7.46 8.08 6.82 7.29 6.85 7.29 PA : 6.46 7.07 6.32 7.01 5.98 6.68 SC : 6.15 6.29 5.65 6.18 5.69 6.14 SD : 6.39 6.57 5.93 6.31 6.06 6.06 TN : 6.10 6.52 5.98 6.51 5.84 6.30 TX : 6.09 6.44 5.55 6.01 5.78 6.10 UT : 6.60 7.07 6.08 6.22 6.16 6.73 VA : 6.54 6.94 6.16 6.37 6.40 6.55 WA : 7.64 7.76 7.10 7.13 7.23 7.37 WV : 6.65 6.60 6.01 6.25 6.28 6.28 WI : 6.73 7.02 7.29 7.35 6.33 6.76 WY : 5.59 6.25 5.89 5.91 5.20 5.75 Oth Sts 3/ : 7.44 8.22 7.15 8.08 6.89 7.46 : US 4/ : 7.35 7.47 6.66 6.97 6.64 6.98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Annual rates are averages of the published wage rates for each survey week weighted by the number of hours worked during the week. The annual average for all States, Regions, and the U.S. is based on data collected for January. 3/ Includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT. 4/ Excludes AK. Farm Labor Regions Region States Northeast I CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT. Northeast II DE, MD, NJ, PA. Appalachian I NC, VA. Appalachian II KY, TN, WV. Southeast AL, GA, SC. Lake MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt I IL, IN, OH. Cornbelt II IA, MO. Delta AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains OK, TX. Mountain I ID, MT, WY. Mountain II CO, NV, UT. Mountain III AZ, NM. Pacific OR, WA. Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates Survey Procedures: These data were collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) during the last two weeks of October using sampling procedures to ensure every employer of agricultural workers had a chance of being selected. Two samples of farm operators are selected. First, NASS maintains a list of farms that hire farm workers. Farms on this list are classified by size and type. Those expected to employ large numbers of workers are selected with greater frequency than those hiring few or no workers. A second sample consists of segments of land scientifically selected from an area sampling frame. Each June, highly trained interviewers locate each selected land segment and identify every farm operating land within the sample segment's boundaries. The names of farms found in these area segments are matched against the NASS list of farms; those not found on the list are included in the labor survey sample to represent all farms. This methodology is known as multiple frame sampling, with an area sample used to measure the incompleteness of the list. Additionally, a list of agricultural service firms was sampled in California and Florida. The survey reference week was October 11-17, 1998. Reliability: Two types of errors, sampling and nonsampling, are possible in an estimate based on a sample survey. Both types affect the "precision" of the estimates. Sampling error occurs because a complete census is not taken. The sampling error measures the variation in estimates from the average of all possible samples. An estimate of 100 with a sampling error of 1 would mean that chances are 19 out of 20 that the estimates from all possible samples averaged together would be between 98 and 102; which is the survey estimate, plus or minus two times the sampling error. The sampling error expressed as a percent of the estimate is called the relative sampling error. The relative sampling error for number of hired workers at the U.S. level was 5.0 percent. The relative sampling error for the number of hired workers generally ranged between 9 and 28 percent at the regional level. The U.S. all hired farm worker wage rate had a relative sampling error of 0.9 percent. The relative sampling error was 0.8 percent for the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. Relative sampling errors for the all hired farm worker wage rate generally ranged between 2 and 8 percent at the regional levels. Relative sampling errors for wage rates published by type of farm and economic class of farm ranged between 6 and 20 percent at the regional level. Nonsampling errors can occur in a complete census as well as in sample surveys. They are caused by the inability to obtain correct information from each operation sampled, differences in interpreting questions or definitions, and mistakes in editing, coding, or processing the data. Special efforts are taken at each step of the survey to minimize nonsampling errors. Revision Policy: Farm labor information is subject to revision the next time the information is published or the year after the original publication date. The basis for revision must be supported by additional data that directly affect the level of the estimate. Worker numbers and wage rates for July 1998 and October 1997 were subject to revision with this report. Revisions were made and previous data are reprinted in this report for your information. Annual Average Wage Rates: Included with this report are the annual average wage rates for 1997 and 1998. Annual rates are the averages of the wage rates for each survey week weighted by the total number of hours worked during the week. The survey weeks include the 12th of the month for January, April, July, and October. Combining data for the four survey weeks provides a large enough sample to permit publication of some wages at the State level. Annual average wage rates for both 1997 and 1998 are published at the State, regional and U.S. level for the all hired wage rate, the field worker wage rate, and the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. For 1998, the relative sampling error, at the U.S. level, was 0.97 percent for the all hired worker wage rate. The relative sampling error was 1.0 percent for the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. The relative sampling error for all hired farm worker and combined field and livestock worker wage rates generally ranged between 2 and 6 percent at the regional level and 2 to 10 percent at the State level. The February 19th report will have information for the survey week of January 10-16, 1999. The report will include the number of All Hired Workers, Average Hours Worked by Hired Workers and the All Hired Worker Wage Rates regional and U.S. levels. The wage rate for field, livestock, and combined field and livestock workers will be available for the regional and U.S. level. The number of Agricultural Service Workers and the corresponding wage rates will be published for Florida and California. Index Page U.S. Hired Workers on Farms, Wage Rates and Hours Worked . . . . .3 Number of Workers and Average Hours Worked by Region and U.S. October 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 July 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Wage Rates by Region and U.S. October 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 July 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Agricultural Services: Workers, Average Hours Worked, and Wages October 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 July 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Annual Averages 1997 - 1998 Number of Workers and Average Hours Worked by Selected States, Regions, and U.S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Hired Workers Wage Rates by Region and U.S. . . . . . . . . 14 Hired Workers Wage Rates by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Other Labor Estimates U.S. Distribution of Workers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Wage Rates by Type of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States . . 10 Wage Rates by Economic Class of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States10 Migrant Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Farm Labor Region Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Revision Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The next "Farm Labor" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on February 19, 1999. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. 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