SALARY DATA — SOC 45-2093
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
45-0000 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is 1.98× — the national median is $36,670 but top decile earns $54,080. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 32,810.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $27,360 | -25% | ~$13 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $31,020 | -15% | ~$15 |
| Median — 50th pct | $36,670 | — | $17.63/hr |
| Mean — average | $39,260 | +7% | $18.88/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $45,700 | +25% | ~$22 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $54,080 | +47% | ~$26 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals in 123 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 610 | $37,720 | $34,320 | $52,800 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 600 | $35,030 | $26,340 | $54,130 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 470 | $35,710 | $31,340 | $48,100 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 460 | $35,850 | $26,180 | $52,370 |
| Lancaster, PA | 430 | $36,670 | $27,540 | $47,160 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 420 | $38,350 | $34,320 | $55,500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 410 | $44,930 | $36,140 | $59,010 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 380 | $44,300 | $38,060 | $59,510 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 370 | $42,910 | $34,850 | $63,440 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 350 | $38,610 | $34,050 | $48,670 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 38 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Activities for Animal Production | 115200 | 11,010 | $36,100 |
| Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers | 424500 | 5,920 | $34,540 |
| Support Activities for Crop Production | 115100 | 1,760 | $34,880 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 311600 | 1,630 | $43,860 |
| Employment Services | 561300 | 1,490 | $37,230 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #19 of 42 on the paycheck and #34 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | $48,880 | 98.6 | $49,574 | +1 |
| Washington | $50,100 | 102.3 | $48,984 | -1 |
| Virginia Beach | $47,430 | 98.6 | $48,108 | +1 |
| Minneapolis | $47,950 | 104.4 | $45,932 | -1 |
| San Diego | $42,910 | 99.6 | $43,073 | +2 |
| Denver | $42,590 | 99.4 | $42,861 | +2 |
| Raleigh | $41,360 | 98.2 | $42,122 | +3 |
| Indianapolis | $41,570 | 99.1 | $41,945 | +1 |
| San Francisco | $44,300 | 106.2 | $41,720 | -3 |
| Tampa | $40,180 | 97.6 | $41,176 | +2 |
Top 10 of 42 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Kansas City gains 11 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals to move from 202,100 to 195,700 over 2025–2035 — -3.2% , with about 26,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: no formal educational credential.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals?
- The median annual salary for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is $36,670, and the mean is $39,260 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals?
- Most Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals earn between $27,360 and $54,080 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.98× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.98 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #19 by nominal pay but #34 of 42 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals employment to shrink 3.2% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 26,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 32,810 workers in Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products $35,730
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $35,660
- Agricultural Workers, All Other $39,850
- Agricultural Equipment Operators $41,730
- Forest and Conservation Workers $43,680
- Log Graders and Scalers $46,330
- Logging Equipment Operators $49,740
- Agricultural Inspectors $49,940
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (SOC 45-2093): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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