SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 45-2093.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $27,360 | $2,280 | $526 | $13.15 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $31,020 | $2,585 | $597 | $14.91 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $36,670 | $3,056 | $705 | $17.63 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $45,700 | $3,808 | $879 | $21.97 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $54,080 | $4,507 | $1,040 | $26.00 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is $36,670, which is 28% lower. Among the 13 occupations of the field Farming, Fishing, and Forestry, it ranks number 11 by median pay. With 32,810 jobs, it makes up about 2.1 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals pay by state
The highest median pay was in Alaska ($50,450), West Virginia ($48,460) and Hawaii ($47,050). The lowest was in Georgia ($28,410), Arkansas ($29,340) and Ohio ($31,200). The most jobs were in Texas (3,750), California (3,600) and Kansas (1,340). The occupation is most concentrated in Wyoming, where its share of all jobs is 7.9 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 40 | $50,450 | $54,900 | $24.26 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $48,460 | $50,340 | $23.30 |
| Hawaii | 160 | $47,050 | $47,690 | $22.62 |
| Minnesota | 580 | $46,020 | $47,570 | $22.12 |
| Washington | 1,100 | $45,370 | $47,860 | $21.81 |
| Maine | 140 | $42,170 | $43,070 | $20.27 |
| Maryland | 310 | $41,760 | $44,350 | $20.08 |
| Vermont | 80 | $40,730 | $48,190 | $19.58 |
| Idaho | 480 | $40,580 | $40,390 | $19.51 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $40,320 | $41,080 | $19.39 |
| Colorado | 1,270 | $39,740 | $42,810 | $19.10 |
| New Hampshire | 130 | $39,520 | $42,080 | $19.00 |
| New Jersey | 250 | $38,960 | $42,780 | $18.73 |
| Wyoming | 470 | $38,920 | $37,220 | $18.71 |
| North Carolina | 910 | $38,750 | $40,820 | $18.63 |
| Virginia | 630 | $38,670 | $44,530 | $18.59 |
| California | 3,600 | $38,640 | $42,810 | $18.58 |
| Massachusetts | 270 | $38,280 | $42,500 | $18.40 |
| Kentucky | 700 | $38,030 | $40,370 | $18.29 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $38,000 | $41,300 | $18.27 |
| Indiana | 420 | $37,530 | $36,420 | $18.05 |
| Mississippi | 290 | $37,430 | $39,930 | $17.99 |
| Nebraska | 570 | $37,220 | $40,730 | $17.90 |
| Kansas | 1,340 | $37,060 | $38,940 | $17.82 |
| Montana | 660 | $37,010 | $40,120 | $17.79 |
| Delaware | 90 | $36,940 | $37,920 | $17.76 |
| Florida | 820 | $36,790 | $39,850 | $17.69 |
| Alabama | 1,300 | $36,620 | $37,480 | $17.61 |
| Iowa | 1,240 | $36,480 | $38,630 | $17.54 |
| New Mexico | 330 | $36,400 | $37,520 | $17.50 |
| Oregon | 700 | $35,480 | $37,770 | $17.06 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,330 | $35,360 | $35,620 | $17.00 |
| Arizona | 650 | $35,160 | $37,660 | $16.90 |
| Connecticut | 90 | $35,140 | $37,910 | $16.90 |
| South Carolina | 190 | $35,090 | $37,060 | $16.87 |
| New York | 530 | $34,860 | $38,810 | $16.76 |
| Texas | 3,750 | $33,920 | $35,960 | $16.31 |
| Illinois | 450 | $33,840 | $35,890 | $16.27 |
| Tennessee | 450 | $33,720 | $36,200 | $16.21 |
| Oklahoma | 420 | $33,670 | $35,130 | $16.19 |
| Utah | 80 | $32,970 | $36,780 | $15.85 |
| Wisconsin | 930 | $32,970 | $36,560 | $15.85 |
| Missouri | 1,310 | $32,950 | $39,040 | $15.84 |
| Michigan | 750 | $32,660 | $35,690 | $15.70 |
| Louisiana | 80 | $31,940 | $35,500 | $15.35 |
| Nevada | 210 | $31,700 | $35,400 | $15.24 |
| Ohio | 1,160 | $31,200 | $34,530 | $15.00 |
| Arkansas | 460 | $29,340 | $32,960 | $14.11 |
| Georgia | 690 | $28,410 | $33,460 | $13.66 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Forest and Conservation Workers$43,680 a year
- Agricultural Equipment Operators$41,730 a year
- Agricultural Workers, All Other$39,850 a year
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$35,730 a year
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660 a year
Common questions
How much do Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals earn in the United States?
The median pay was $36,670 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,360 and the highest-paid 10% more than $54,080.
How many people work as Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals?
About 32,810 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.