Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 840,000 for the reference
week of October 8-14, 2017, up 5 percent from the October 2016 reference week.
There were 879,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the Nation's
farms and ranches during the week of July 9-15, 2017, up 5 percent from the
July 2016 reference week.
Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $13.42 per hour
during the October 2017 reference week, up 1 percent from the previous year.
Field workers received an average of $12.83 per hour, up 2 percent. Livestock
workers earned $12.22, down slightly from the previous year. The field and
livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.66 per hour, was up 1 percent from
October 2016. Hired laborers worked an average of 41.6 hours during the October
2017 reference week, unchanged from a year earlier.
Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $13.23 per hour
during the July 2017 reference week, up 2 percent from the previous year. Field
workers received an average of $12.57 per hour, up 2 percent. Livestock workers
earned $12.21 per hour, up slightly from the previous year. The field and
livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.47 per hour, was up 2 percent from
July 2016. Hired laborers worked an average of 41.4 hours during the July 2017
reference week, compared with 41.2 hours a year earlier.
The 2017 all hired worker annual average wage rate was $13.32 per hour, up 3
percent from the 2016 annual average wage. The 2017 field worker annual average
wage rate was $12.51 per hour, up 2 percent from the 2016 annual average. The
2017 annual average combined wage for field and livestock workers was $12.47,
up 2 percent from the 2016 annual average of $12.20 per hour.